More Than You Seem
by Hitotsune-Kozo
Summary: It's after the events of So the Drama, and Kim and Ron's relationship never took off. Shego's feeling discontent with her employment to Drakken. And it seems like she has a little sister than no has known about. What's going on here? Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** This story is a request from Kigo4evR. She had the idea for it, as well as the backstory, and asked me to write it for her. She came up with Shego's real name for this story, Sheridan Jane Goodman, as well as the real names for her brothers: Henry (Hego), Michael (Mego), and William and Walter (the Wegos). So credit for this story goes to her; I'm just presenting it. ;D

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 1 - At the End of the Day**

_Possible Residence_

Kim Possible lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was summer time, school was out, and she was bored. Ron and his family were on vacation, and Monique was busy working at Club Banana. And, ironically enough, after Drakken's nearly successful attempt to take over the world with the Li'l Diablos, the villains she usually tangled with had chosen to lay low. The only excitement in the past couple of weeks was Drakken and Shego breaking out of prison. She had anticipated some action by now, so the relative silence after the break out was unnervingly frustrating. She didn't think she was an adrenaline junkie; after all, she didn't do what she did for the thrill of it but to help people. Still, she couldn't deny she got a rush out of skydiving from an airplane and pulling her chute close to the ground, or tangling with Shego, or the myriad of things she did as a globe-trotting teen hero. _Am I wrong about wishing for something to happen?_ she asked herself. _I mean, it would mean that the world - or part of it - is in danger._ Just then, her kimmunicator went off.

"Oh, please tell me there's a sitch," Kim begged after she had turned the device on.

_"Um, well, actually, there is,"_ Wade replied. _"Drakken and Shego are stealing . . . well, to be honest, I can't believe it."_

"What is it?"

_"They're stealing espresso machines and coffee makers."_

"You've got to be kidding."

_"I can't believe it, either. But they _are_ stealing machines and materials used in the making of various coffee products, flavors, and derivatives."_

"Well, it's something."

_"Need a ride?"_

"Please and thank you."

_All Coffee, All The Time Warehouse, Middleton_

"Tell me again _why_ we're here, Doctor D?" Shego asked, leaning against a wall and using a nail filer on her gloved fingertips.

"Don't you pay _any_ attention when I'm explaining my plans to you, Shego?" Drakken said, rummaging through another crate.

"Not usually," she admited. "I just kind of tune you out until you say something actually worth listening to."

"Will ever stop mocking me?"

"Sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah. When you stop being so easy to mock."

"Grrr," he growled. "Fine. I'm looking for specific components to build a super coffee making machine that can make any type of coffee, in any flavor."

"Aannd _why_ would you want to do that?"

"_Because_, Shego, I am going to make a special coffee that will make everyone who drinks it want more of it, and I'll refuse to give it to them unless they give in to my demands. Muahahahahah!"

"You know, after the Bueno Nacho scheme, that seems pretty weak," Kim Possible said, stepping out of some shadows.

"Kim Possible!" Drakken exclaimed.

"Nice entrance, Princess. You're exit's going to be even better!" Shego growled, though it was more happy than threatening. Igniting her hands, she launched herself at the teen hero. Kim dropped to her back, allowing Shego to fly over her, then flipped back to her feet and whirled around. The green-tinted woman had landed on her hands and tucked herself into a roll to break the landing, then jumped back to her feet and kicked at her red-headed rival. Kim didn't block the kick, but grabbed the leg with both hands and used Shego's momentum to sling her off her feet. The older woman flew for a few feet before hitting the concrete floor and skidding a few more feet. Arching her body against the floor, she flipped herself onto her feet and offered a slightly sarcastic salute.

"Good move, Princess," she said. "I thought you would've blocked it."

"I thought about doing that," she admitted, "only I would've kicked back at you."

"And I would've done what you did. Nice."

"Thanks." Then the two went back to exchanging blows, Kim firing off punches and dodging while Shego used her plasma and kicks on the teen.

"Ah-ha! Got it!" they both heard Drakken shout. "Shego, let's go!"

"Gotta go, Princess," she said, blowing her rival a kiss before leaping onto the rope ladder hanging from Drakken's hovercraft.

_Way to go, Kim_, she berated herself. _First mission in what feels like forever, and you let the bad guys take what they were after and get away with it._ Sighing, she pulled out her kimmunicator and contacted Wade.

_Drakken's Lair, one hour later_

"Success!" Drakken shouted as he gleefully danced his way into his lair's main chamber. "The first step of my plan for global domination is done! Now on to step two!"

"Not tonight, Doctor D," Shego said, heading towards the private garage she'd forced Drakken to install in this particular lair.

"What? Shego, you can't leave yet! I'm not done gloating!"

"I've got to go. It's after seven, and it's Wednesday. Remember that part of our renegotiated contract?"

"Oh, right. You know, you never tell me where you go when you leave here on your own."

"And I never will. See ya tomorrow, Doctor D," she called back, absently waving a hand as she left the room.

"Oh, well," Drakken said with a shrug. Then he cheered up. "I know!" He rushed over to the control panel and spent a few minutes looking for something. Then he found the intercom button. "Lewis! Wilbur! Get in here! I need an audience so I can gloat properly!"

_Possible Residence, same time_

Kim threw herself back on her bed and buried her face in a pillow. Though the mission _had_ relieved her boredom, it was rather anti-climactic. At least she'd managed to learn Drakken's scheme. After relaying that information to Wade so he could begin keeping track of any and every coffee-related place in Middleton, she'd headed home. Not even her brothers' usually explosive antics could break her out of her funk, so she'd gone up to her room. Then she began thinking of Shego. It wasn't as unusual as it sounded anymore; she'd been thinking of her ever since Bueno Nacho. She and Ron never really hit it off as boyfriend and girlfriend material after prom; and it wasn't just because their first (and only) kiss wasn't what either had expected. Neither had felt that 'spark' that would indicate a leap from 'just friends' to 'boyfriend and girlfriend.' _I wonder what Shego's doing right now?_

_Goodman Residence, same time (just a few houses down from Kim)_

A sleek-looking black car with green trim around the wheel wells and outlining the hood, along with green front and rear bumpers, pulled into the driveway of an ultra modern-looking house. The house was a nice forest green with black trim, and a well-manicured front lawn. When the car came to a stop, Shego stepped out of it and stretched. She wasn't dressed in her trademark green-and-black cat suit, but in a pair of conservative black slacks and a green 3/4-length shirt. She'd barely gotten to the front door when it opened and a little eight-year-old girl with snow white hair and silver eyes ran and hugged Shego around the legs.

"You're home, Mommy!" she said excitedly. Shego melted on the spot and dropped to her knees, enfolding the little girl in a hug.

"I'm back, Amethyst," Shego replied, a carefree smile spreading across her face. _I'm back . . . little sister. I'll always come back to you._

**E/N:** So that's it. The first chapter of Kigo4evR's fanfic. I hope y'all enjoyed it. And I hope you approved of it, Kigo4evR.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** This story is a request from Kigo4evR. She had the idea for it, as well as the backstory, and asked me to write it for her. She came up with Shego's real name for this story, Sheridan Jane Goodman, as well as the real names for her brothers: Henry (Hego), Michael (Mego), and William and Walter (the Wegos). So credit for this story goes to her; I'm just presenting it. ;D

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 2 - Some Things Are Just More Important**

_Goodman Residence_

Shego looked up as someone appeared the doorway of her home.

"Thanks for watching her for so long," she told the young girl standing there.

"I don't mind, Miss Goodman," Tara said, smiling. "She's very well behaved for an eight-year-old, and her daycare is nearby so it isn't a problem.

"And the extra money doesn't hurt, does it?" she replied with a wink. The blond cheerleader chuckled in agreement. Standing up, Shego - or Sheridan Goodman as Tara knew her - reached into her bag and pulled a wade of twenties. She peeled of three and handed them to the blond teen, hesitated, then peeled off a fourth.

"There," she said. "That should cover today, as well as reimbursing you for anything you might've spent earlier."

"Thanks, but this too much," Tara said. She may have been rich enough to be in Bonnie Rockwaller's circle, but she wasn't as much of a snot as her friend. And as rich as Miss Goodman appeared to be, she didn't seem to act like she was that rich.

"I was your age once," Shego told her. "It's always good to have some extra spending money." _Though I didn't really_ have_ any when I was your age, kid._

"Do I need to pick Amy up from daycare tomorrow, Miss Goodman?" the teen asked. Shego thought about it for a moment. Since Drakken would probably spend most of the day working on his super coffe maker machine, she figured she just wouldn't go by the lair until late afternoon.

"No, that's okay, Tara," she replied. "My boss has got a project in the works right now, but he's going to be spending most of the day working on the plans, so I won't be going in until late afternoon."

"Alright. Um, should I stop by around five,then?"

"Make it six. And I'll have a pizza or something delivered to the house for you. Your parents don't mind you being out late, do they?"

"Well, since it's summer they don't really mind; though they don't pay too much attention to my comings and goings."

"Tell you what, then. Go ahead and tell your parents that you'll be babysitting late tomorrow night, and that I said you could stay the night since I'll be getting home late. I can take you by your house when I get home, and then pick you up in the morning so you can get your car.."

"Thanks, Miss Goodman!" Tara replied, touched and impressed by the older woman's thoughtfulness.

"Now, go on home before it really gets dark."

"Yes, ma'am." As Shego watched the girl hurry to her own car, which was parked on the curb to the left of the driveway, she thought about how different her life was at seventeen. With a shake of her head, she picked up her little sister and walked into her house.

_Possible Residence, the next day_

"_Drakken's making a super coffee machine so he can force people to buy his coffee?"_ Ron asked over the kimmunicator.

"It sounds weirder than it is when you say it like that, Ron," Kim replied. "What I heard him telling Shego was that he was going to make a super coffee-making machine that will make different types of coffee that has an additive to it that will make people addicted to _that_ coffee, forcing them to buy more of it. Drakken is then going to refuse unless everyone lets him take over."

"_What's the Wadester got to say on this?"_

"_About the same as Kim, actually,"_ the computer genius replied on the three-way link. _"If we can acquire a sample of this additive, then we can get it to Global Justice – or maybe the Middleton Science Center would be better – and have them make an antidote for it, just in case."_

"_Sorry I wasn't there to help, KP."_

"No big, Ron. You're on vacation, after all. Can't expect you to be saving the world with me all of the time."

"_I know, but still. I feel bad that I wasn't there to help. Oops, gotta go. I'll call you later, KP."_

"Bye, Ron," Kim said before he hung up, and screen shifted from a diagonal split to just Wade. "So, Wade, when did these thefts start?"

"_Earlier this week, actually. But I didn't have any evidence that it was Drakken and Shego behind it until yesterday. Sorry."_

"No big, Wade. I think Drakken's on a food and drink binge after the Bueno Nacho thing."

"_Speaking of that, how are you dealing with . . . well, with everything?"_

"I'm okay, actually. At the time, I was so pissed at Drakken and Shego for toying with my emotions like that, but for some reason I don't blame Shego anymore. She admitted to not knowing until the last minute, after all. And . . . okay, this'll sound strange but . . . I trust her, you know?"

"_It doesn't sound strange at all, Kim. You've been fighting her almost from the beginning of your career, so you two were bound to start respecting one another. I know you and Ron are back to being just friends, by the way. Everything all right between you two?"_

"Everything's fine, Wade," she said, smiling. "Thanks for asking. It was a mutual thing. Neither of us felt romantically attracted to each other, except for that one kiss at prom. And . . . there's one more thing, actually. I started figuring it out after prom, during the days we had left before school ended, then when summer started and Ron left I really started thinking about it, considering everything. You know, just trying to make sure. Can . . . can you keep a secret, Wade? From everyone? Including Ron?"

"_It's not something that'll hurt him, is it?"_

"No. At least, I don't think it is."

"_Then I'll keep it, Kim. You can tell me anything."_

"I'm pretty sure I'm gay, Wade. Wade? Everything okay?"

"_No, um, yeah. Yeah. Everything's fine. Just surprised, that's all."_

"Believe me, I'm surprised, too. It would explain why I never found the guys I tried to go out with attractive enough to stay with. And I don't think it's just because of that that I'm gay. I never really had time to think about it before, what with all of the missions and school stress and everything." She paused, and a concerned look came over her face. "You're sure you're okay with it?"

"_Kim, you being a lesbian has no bearing on our friendship. You're the first person besides my mom who's reached out to me, and understood the reason why I don't leave my room. You don't judge me for that, so I'd be a pretty bad friend if I judged you for being a lesbian. I'm sure Ron won't judge you, either. You've known each other since pre-k; I don't think this will come between the two of you."_

"Thanks, Wade. You rock."

_Drakken's Lair_

"Almost done, Drakken muttered to himself, fiddling with a metallic contraption the size of three shoeboxes stacked on top of each other. "Once I finish this, I'll be one step closer to dominating the Tri-City area! Then after that, it'll be the state! I've got to start smaller this time, work my way up to global domination." He looked around. "Where is Shego? I thought she'd be here by now." Growling in annoyance, he busied around looking for the phone, and then spent ten minutes trying to remember his sidekick's cell number.

_Goodman Residence, Middleton_

"Thanks for getting here so quickly," Shego said to Tara as they stood in the doorway of her house. "My boss called me in early so I'm glad you were able to come now."

"It's not a problem, Miss Go," Tara said reassuringly.

"I left some money on the kitchen counter for a pizza, along with some emergency money on top of the fridge if anything comes up. And of course you know the number you can reach me at."

"I got it, Miss Go. Would you like me to let you know when she goes to sleep?"

"Please and thank you," Shego said, wincing inwardly when she realized who she sounded like. Though it wasn't as much of a wince as it would've been a few months ago. She walked to her car, and drove off slowly. Even though this was how things had been pretty much ever since she quit Team Go and became a villain, over the past year she'd found herself liking the situation less and less; Amethyst was the only member of her family she really cared about. And after the way her father died, she really didn't have much of an interest in men; platonically _or_ romantically. _I don't think I'm going to be doing this much longer_, she thought to herself as she drove to the Middleton Airport; she wasn't dumb enough to leave _her_ car at one of Drakken's lairs, considering how frequently they tended to blow up. After this scheme, she was going to cancel her contract with Drakken. After all, she didn't need the money anymore and her little sister – practically a generation apart – really needed her. The only thing that made working for Drakken worthwhile was the chance to tangle with Kim Possible.

_Tons of Coffee Warehouse, later that night_

Shego had warned Drakken about hitting _another_ coffee company's warehouse a _second night in a row_, had told him that it set a pattern, but he didn't listen. And now they were stuck because _this_ building had reinforced walls, padlocked and dead-bolted loading doors of high tensile steel, and the _only_ open exit was currently being defended by Kim Possible. She was angry because Drakken had demanded she come in earlier than she'd wanted, taking away from what little time she got to spend with her 'baby' sister. She wasn't taking her anger out _on_ Kim Possible, though it _was_ giving her an edge on the red-headed teen; she was using the fight with Kim to work out her anger. But her rival was really on the ball tonight. She was countering every one of Shego's moves with equal intensity, though much less anger (none at all, in fact), and was getting in some good hits. Then Shego overbalanced herself when she threw a powerful, plasma-enhanced punch that Kim dodged. The teen hero grabbed her arm, and did a spin-throw over her hip that ended up with Shego on her back – and Kim straddling her hips in a rather pleasant manner. The two of them locked eyes, and for a second something seemed to pass between them. Which was promptly interrupted by Drakken.

"Shego!" he yelled. "Stop fooling around with Kim Possible and get up! We've got important things to do!"

That did it.

Looking Kim back in the eyes, she asked, "Would you mind letting me up, Kimmie? I've got something I need to do real quick."

Confused, but trusting the older woman, Kim nodded and stood up; she even helped Shego get up.

"Thank you," the green-tinted woman said, surprised by the gesture but not showing it. "Now, give me just a minute and you can arrest Drakken."

"I'll have to take you in, too," Kim told her.

"In just a minute, you'll change your mind." With that, Shego marched over to Drakken.

"Now let's go, Shego!" he demanded.

"Drakken?" she said, and he _knew_ he'd screwed up somehow. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Both him and Kim Possible felt their jaws drop. "My life doesn't revolve around making sure you don't fuck up your own schemes! I work for you because I _choose_ to! Alright?! I don't _need_ your fucking money anymore! I am _tired_ of working for such a lame-ass loser like you! The only thing that makes _tolerating_ you worth the aggravation you put me through each and every day is a chance to tangle with a hottie like Kim Possible! Well, you know what? I'm through! I'm done! Finished! Out of here! I've got more important things – _and_ people – in my life to deal with than holding your hand while you make one failed attempt after another to take over Middleton, the Tri-City area, _and_ the world!" Then she fired up her fight fist, made sure it was all kinetic and no heat, then gut-punched Drakken so hard he flew backward into a large crate filled with imported coffee beans. "So I quit," she said smugly. Then she walked by Kim Possible, whose jaw was still dropped. She reached up with one hand and gently closed the teen's mouth.

"See ya later, Princess," she said. By the time Kim's brain started working again, Shego was gone.

"She . . . she thinks I'm hot?" Kim asked herself, staring out the door the villainess had just walked through. "I finally realize that I'm actually a lesbian, that that's _who_ I am, and the hottest woman on the planet tells _me_ that _I'm_ a hottie?" Shaking her head, she pulled out her kimmunicator and called Wade, telling him to have the police her to get Drakken. "I'll leave him tied up," she told him. "I . . . I have to get home and . . . think about things."

"_Alright, got it, Kim."_

"And one more thing, Wade."

"_Sure, Kim."_

"Can you find out where Shego lives? She just quit working for Drakken, sounding _extremely_ pissed while doing so, and she has to be living somewhere since I now doubt she stays in the lair."

"_I'll do my best, Kim. I'll check around Go City and the Tri-City area first."_

"Please and thank you."

**E/N:** And there you have it. The second chapter of Kigo4evR's fanfic. I know I didn't answer the question about why Amethyst calls Shego 'mommy' if they're sisters in this chapter, but that's what chapter 3's for. After all, I can't keep you interested if I don't leave a mystery in here. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** This story is a request from Kigo4evR. She had the idea for it, as well as the backstory, and asked me to write it for her. She came up with Shego's real name for this story, Sheridan Jane Goodman, as well as the real names for her brothers: Henry (Hego), Michael (Mego), and William and Walter (the Wegos). So credit for this story goes to her; I'm just presenting it. ;D

**A/N:** And here's the chapter where that one question everybody's asking gets answered: Why does Amethyst call Shego 'mommy' if they're sisters?

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 3 – The Reason Why** _Possible Residence_

Now things were back to being boring again. With Drakken captured and Shego gone, everything else seemed to have died down. She expected Dementor or DNAmy to do something, but the latter seemed content to create her living Cuddle Buddies while the former was – according to Wade – trying to figure out a way to top Drakken's 'super coffee' plan. She asked her friend to look into the other villains she'd encountered during her career, even as he was still looking for Shego (three days had passed, and he hadn't been able to find a trace of her). Adrenna Lynn was still in prison, the Seniors were apparently running a not-so-evil evil nightclub of some kind, Duff Killigan was still trying to find someone to sell him a new set of golf clubs, and Monkey Fist had last been seen in a Tibetan monastery. And, of course, Global Justice had the Worldwide Evil Empire well in hand.

For the fifth time in fifteen minutes, Kim picked up her kimmunicator and phoned Wade.

"_No news about Shego right now, Kim,"_ he said, preempting her question. _"It's weird, too, because I've run through every conceivable record kept in various city hall computer systems, and I've found nothing."_

"Nobody can vanish that completely," she said, just as baffled as he was. "Not even Shego."

"_Well, she managed to do it. I'll keep trying, though."_

"Thanks, Wade."

"_Why the, um, 'interest' in Shego's whereabouts, Kim?"_

"Oh, um, n-no reason," she said evasively, her fair skin turning pinkish.

"_Riiight. Well, I'll call you when I find out anything, so _please_ don't call in another five minutes."_

"Sorry, Wade," she said as he closed the connection. Sighing, she flopped back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Deciding she'd had enough of that, Kim flips off her bed and walks to her closet. After slipping into a pair of black slacks and a pink ¼-sleeve shirt with a red heart on the front, adding a white hoodie with a blue stripe down each sleeve, she went downstairs.

"I'm gonna walk to the mall, okay?" she called out to her mom; her dad was down at the science center helping solve a problem with a rocket's liquid oxygen/solid hydrogen fuel tank.

"You sure you don't want to drive, Kimmie?" Ann Possible calls back.

"I need the time to think, and I can't just let my mind wander while I drive."

"Alright, dear," her mom said, coming into the living room. "Do you want to talk about your sexual orientation sometime?"

"Y-you don't have a problem with it, d-do you?" Kim asked nervously. Her mom smiled and shook her head.

"Honey, I experimented when I was college, so I'm no stranger to lesbianism," she answered. "Actually, I'm proud that you're discovering who you are already. Your father's a little put off by it, though I know he'll support you once he gets himself to understand your choice."

"Thanks, Mom," she replied, walking over to her mom and hugging her.

"Anytime, Sweetie," Ann told her, returning the hug. When she walked out of the house, she hesitated on the front door step for a moment, taking a deep breath. She really did want to time to think, and what she wanted to think about was Shego. The one thought that kept buzzing through her mind was Shego calling her a hottie. That meant that Shego either at least appreciated a woman's natural beauty . . . or she was attracted to Kim, which meant she was a lesbian like Kim. That thought made Kim's heart skip a beat – several beats, actually – and started her thinking about her nemesis in a romantic manner. So was so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't realized how far she'd gone until she almost bumped into a mailbox. Pulling herself out of her _very_ distracting thoughts – she'd just been wondering what Shego wore under that rather tight cat suit – she looked at the mailbox. On it was the name 'Goodman.' She didn't know much about whoever lived here, other than that she was a single woman with a little girl – and she only knew _that_ much because Tara babysat for the woman fairly often. She had just started walking again when she looked at the house and saw, through the open curtains of the front window, the last person she expected to see. And almost right on cue, her kimmunicator went off.

"Yeah, Wade?" she asked in a stunned voice.

"_I did some back checking to see if anything would turn up further back in city records, and I found out that, eight years ago, someone bought a house on the same street _you_ live on, and the name is-"_

"Goodman," Kim said.

"_Yeah, how did you know?"_

"I'm staring at Shego's mailbox right now."

"_Oh. That would explain – Wait. How did you know that Shego lives there?"_

"I'm looking at her through her front window right now."

"_Makes sense to me. Well, that's all I managed to find out. Other than that the place is listed under Sheridan Jane Goodman."_

"Thanks for the help, Wade," she said sincerely. "You rock." Hanging up, she swallowed a suddenly dry throat, wiped her suddenly sweaty hands on her pants, and walked up to the house.

Walking up to the door, Kim hesitated for a second before knocking. She could hear sounds on the other side of the door before someone opens it. She found herself confronted by an eight-year-old girl with hair whiter than pure snow and silver eyes.

"Hello," the girl said.

"Hey," she replied, smiling.

"I'm Amethyst. Amethyst Rose. My last name's Goodman."

"Is that so?" Kim asked, bending her knees to bring herself to the girl's eye level. "That's a beautiful name. Does a _Sheridan_ Goodman live here?"

"Uh-huh," Amethyst said.

"May I speak with her?"

"Okay. Mommy!" she called out, turning her head to look inside. "Mom, there's someone here for you!" Kim stood up and wiped her hands on her pants again just as Shego comes around a corner and saw her standing there. She was wearing a pair of black sweatpants, a green tanktop, and was pulling off a pair of pink oven mitts. The two of them make eye contact and, for Kim, it seemed like the rest of the world just disappeared. After a few moments, Shego breaks their gazes and looks at Amethyst. "Amy," she said, "why don't go watch TV? I think 'Cuddle Buddy Adventures' is on right now."

"Okay, Mommy!" she says brightly, and then runs off to the living room. Shego walks up to Kim and stands in the doorway.

"So," she said, "you get Nerdlinger to track me down?"

"Well, kinda," Kim admitted, blushing. "Actually, I found you before he told me where you live."

"And how did you manage that?" Kim mumbled something in reply, suddenly finding her shoes utterly fascinating. "Speak up, Princess. Oh, and look at me when you talk to me; I'm sure my doorstep must be very interesting, but if you're talking to me then you need to be looking at me."

Taking a deep breath, Kim raised her head and said, "I almost ran into your mailbox."

"Really?" Shego replied with a raised eyebrow. "I don't see your car."

"I was walking."

"How could you almost run into a mailbox just by walking."

"I was thinking, and wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"And what were you thinking about?"

"What's with the twenty questions?"

"You're standing on _my_ doorstep, so I think I'm entitled to questions."

Sighing, the red-headed teen said, "I was thinking about you, okay?"

_That_ surprised Shego. Before she could ask the next obvious question, Kim added, "I was thinking about what you wore under your cat suit."

"Kinky, Kimmie," she replied with a smirk, trying to hide her stunned surprise. "The answer is . . . absolutely nothing at all." Kim's blush turned her fair skin into the same color as a pink tomato. Shego sighed; she didn't know why Kim would be thinking stuff like that, though she had a guess. But it wouldn't do to just leave the teen standing outside her house while they talked – _and_ while she had something cooking. "Look," she said, "I'm making lunch right now. Would . . . would you like to join us? We could talk some more about whatever it is that brought you here."

"Um, yeah, uh, sure," Kim managed, caught off guard by the offer. She followed Shego into her house and into her kitchen. She was impressed with the size and neatness of the room, especially the island counter that had pizza ingredients on it.

"Homemade pizza?" she asked.

"Best kind," was her reply. "This way I know _exactly_ what goes in it, and I can make it _exactly_ my way." She looked over at Kim and hazarded a nervous smile. "I hope you don't mind, though I don't know why I care."

"No, no, pizza's fine," she reassured the green-tinted woman. "I've never had homemade pizza before; my parents usually order out for pizza."

"Then you're in for a treat, Princess," Shego said proudly. It took her a few more minutes to prep the pizza just the way she wanted it, then she slid it into the oven. Taking off her oven mitts, she set them on the counter, leaned against it, and – crossing her arms – looked at Kim Possible.

"Alright, Cupcake," she said, "what is that you wanted?"

"Well, I suppose I could start with asking you why you quit working for Drakken," Kim told her. Shego raised an eyebrow.

"Does it really matter?" she asked. She smiles a little as Kim blushes again and begins stuttering and stammering, trying to find an answer. _She's cute when she blushes_, she thought; she managed to keep her surprise at that thought from showing on her face. "Come on, Possible," she said, unfolding herself from the counter. "I'll get some soda and we can sit on the couch and talk."

After they'd sat down, and Shego had handed her a diet cola, the two remained silent for a while. Amethyst was laying on her stomach, chin resting in her hands and legs idly kicking, watching Cuddle Buddy Adventures.

"If you're wondering," Shego said softly, drawing the younger woman's attention, "and I know you must be, Amethyst _isn't_ my daughter."

"She's not?" Kim asked, surprised.

"No," she replied. "She's my little sister." She looks at Kim's face, but doesn't chuckle at the confused look she finds there. "I've been the only mom she's know for her entire life, so she calls me mommy. I . . . I don't have the heart to correct her; not yet."

"I didn't know you had a little sister," the teen hero said. "Your brothers didn't mention it during the Aviarius thing, and neither did you."

"They probably forgot all about her, considering I've kept her out of Go City for eight years. And as for me not mentioning it . . . she's the one pure thing I have in my life. She's part of a life that is unconnected to Drakken, or anything 'weird' like that."

"She helps you have a normal life," Kim realized.

"Yeah," the older woman agreed. "Something like that." She sighed. "I should probably come clean about everything."

"You don't have to," she told her.

"Look, Kim, I know you've got questions for me – probably a ton or more now – and . . . and I want to answer them. I've never talked to anyone else about this, not even my brothers – even though _they_ were there when it all began. They just wouldn't understand. But you? I've only known you for the past three years or so, but I feel closer to you than I ever did with my brothers."

"It could be that whole martial arts thing," she suggested. "I read somewhere that fighting like that, against someone just as skilled as you, is one of the clearest forms of communication because it tells you more about the person than a conversation ever would."

"I never thought about it like that," Shego said slowly. "That's pretty deep, Princess." She looked into her glass. "We got our powers when I was sixteen. Hego . . . _Henry_ had just turned eighteen a week ago, and Me-_Michael_ going to be sixteen in a couple of days. We were all in the car, heading to a restaurant to celebrate . . . something. I can't remember what, now. Anyways. My dad was working late at the office – he _was_ the mayor of Go City back then – so he wasn't going to make it. That was typical of him, and everybody was used to it by now. Then . . . then the night sky began getting brighter and brighter. I was in the back seat with Michael, William, and Walter, so I couldn't see what it was. But Mom and Henry were shouting, and I felt the car swerve . . . And then I saw it, for the split second that it had before it slammed into the road. There was no chance for anybody to do anything. When it hit, I also saw – for another split second – a rainbow of colors from the crater before the shockwave tossed the car back fifty or more feet. For some reason, as the car hit the ground and bounced off to fly another a short distance before hitting again and skidding a trench into the ground, everybody but me lost consciousness. Once the car came to a stop, I climbed out the missing back window. I'm guessing my plasma powers had already manifested then, because I should've been jammed into the seat. The car was resting at an angle on its side, and I was really panicking, so I pushed it over, back onto its wheels."

"Really? I thought Hego had the super strength?"

"He does, but you'd be surprised what people are capable of in a crisis like that. I've heard of an eighty-year-old grandmother lifting a car off of someone."

"Whoa."

"Fuck yeah. Now, about the time I got the car onto its wheels, I noticed my hands were on fire. I really started panicking then, until I realized that fire isn't usually green. Before anything else could go through my mind, I heard Mom moan. That threw a bucket of ice water all over me, figuratively speaking. I tried to open the door but it was jammed shut . . ."

_Eight years ago_

_. . . Sheridan felt tears running down her cheeks, her body shaking with fear, panic, and adrenaline. She had to get to her mom, but she couldn't get the door open! That's when she noticed that her green glowing hands were leaving impressions in the metal of the car's door. _Hotter_, she thought. _I . . . I have to make it hotter_. Thinking that, she saw the pale glow around her hands intensify and she grabbed at the door, feeling her hands push through it like a hot knife through butter. Gripping the frame inside the door itself, she concentrated on making the green fire hotter and hotter. The door began melting around her arms, so she started tearing at it, pulling it away until only a molten lump was left. She went to unbuckle her, and it melted in her hand. Not wanting to hurt her, so Sheri thought about the flame going away and watched as it did. She didn't yet know it was plasma yet. Reaching in, she gently pulled her mom, who was supposed to give birth to a baby girl in a week, out of the car and carefully laid her along the ground next to the car. About then, she realized that her brothers were out and had gathered round her._

_Almost immediately, Henry passed out from seeing the condition their mother was in, and Michael hurried to comfort his little brothers. Sheri, meanwhile, did what she could to make her mom comfortable. _Wimps_, she thought, thinking about Henry and Michael._

"_Sheri . . ." she heard her mom say._

"_D-don't move, Mom," she said, hating herself for sounding like a scared little girl. "E-everything's going t-to be alright."_

"_I know, Firefly," her mom said, making Sheri smile by using the nickname. "But not for me."_

"_Damn it, Mom, don't say that!"_

"_Language, Sheridan Jane, language."_

"_Sorry, Mom."_

"_I know you don't want to hear it, Firefly, but I _am_ dying." She gasped as a shudder tore through her. "But I don't think Amethyst is going to wait."_

"_My little sister? She's coming now?"_

"_There's no choice, dear. I . . . I'm gonna need your help."_

"_Mom . . . how is she going to come out? You're . . . you're . . ."_

"_I know, dear. You'll need . . . you'll need to remove her."_

"_How?"_

"_C-section, my little Firefly."_

"_B-but a d-doctor's supposed to do that!"_

"_There's no time, Sheri. Be strong. It was going to have to be a c-section, anway. The doctor explained . . . to me and your father what . . . would be done to perform a . . . c-section, so I'll walk you through it."_

"_Mom . . . you could . . . you could die."_

"_There's no stopping that now, Sheri. But Amethyst doesn't have to die with me." With that, she walked her daughter through the procedure. Before she started, though, she looked at her daughter and said, "I want . . . I want you to take good care of her, okay? No matter what happens in your life, always look out for Amy, okay?"_

_"I promise, Mom," she said. Sheri didn't like making promises because she always had to keep them, but this time she made it without a second thought. She grabbed a shard of metal, ignited her hand and heated it up. Then she leaned over her mother . . ._

_She took her jacket off and wrapped it around her little sister. While she was performing the c-section, her mom had died. She'd gotten her sister out and had Michael get a blanket from the wreck that had been a car a while ago. She'd cleaned her sister up, cut the umbilicle, and now wrapped her up in her jacket. _Warm_, she thought._ Gotta keep her warm._ Thinking, she concentrated on that same thing from before, and saw a green glow appear around her. _Warm_, she thought again, frantically. _Don't burn, don't melt, just make warm._ And it stayed warm. It wasn't hot, it wasn't making her jacket crinkle and burst into flame, just giving off warmth. Then the ambulance showed up. She didn't know how long it had been since the meteor had hit, but it felt like a lifetime ago. The paramedics got out but didn't come near her. Sheri started to get angry, until she remembered that she looked like she was covered in green fire. Concentrating, she pulled her glow in and 'doused' the 'flames.'_

_"Please," she called out. "My baby sister needs help." They quickly rushed over and one of them took her sister while the other checked on her mom and brothers. Sheri collapsed to her knees, feeling faint now. The events that had just happened finally caught up to her and she passed out._

_When she woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. _Hospital_, was her first thought. Sitting up, though, changed her mind. She saw that the room was one of those sealed ones that she saw on a tv show once, the ones where they put quarantine victims. The door confirmed it; it was one of those airlock looking things._

_"Hey!" she shouted. "What the hell is going on?" Just then, the door opened and a man wearing one of those hazard suits with the self-contained oxygen supply walked in. "Where's my sister?" she demanded._

_"If you mean the baby girl, Amethyst, she's doing fine as far as I know," the man replied._

_"What do you mean, 'as far as you know?'" she asked. "What's going on?"_

_"You and your brothers are in quarantine, Miss Goodman. You've been exposed to some form of energy that we can't identify, so you're being kept isolated until we can figure it out."_

_"I want to see my sister," Sheri growled, growing angry._

_"Eventually, once we're sure everything is okay, I'm sure you'll get to see her."_

_"I want to see Amethyst. Now!" she yelled, igniting her hands._

_"Now, miss, calm down."_

_"Don't tell me to calm down! You take me to my sister now!" With that she raised her hands and watched as a burst of energy shot from them, slamming into the man and sending him flying. She could hear alarms start going off, and rushed out the door as it started to close. Now _another_ alarm began blaring. Turning, she blasted the door and stalked back into the room. Picking the man up, she ripped off his hood and growled, "Where is my sister?"_

_"Sh-she's in r-ro-room t-two eighteen," he stammered. Dropping him, she turned around and ran, looking for the room. When she found it, she blasted the door apart and found doctors and nurses in the room with her sister._

_"Is. She. Okay?" she asked, making each word a sentence. Her hands were still lit up. Nodding, everyone in the room stepped away from the heated bed her little sister was in. As she walked over there, the glow around her hands faded away and she carefully picked up Amethyst, cradling her. Someone moved and her head snapped up. Looking, she saw a nurse holding out a wool blanket._

_"Thank you," she said, taking the blanket._

_"For what it's worth," one of the doctors said, "we were against isolating all of you like that."_

_"I . . . I appreciate that," Sheri replied. "Do you know where my brothers are?"_

_"They're back in quarantine," the same doctor said. "Room two-forty-eight."_

_Without another word, Sheri turned and left._

_Finding her brothers was easy; the reinforced steel door had several large dents in it. After breaking her brothers out of the room, they made their way to front of the hospital, where they were met by members of the Go City Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics unit. She handed Amethyst to Michael and stepped forward, igniting her hands with burning energy._

_"This can go one of two ways," she said quietly. "Either you let us walk out of here and go on our way peacefully . . . or I burn all of your asses until we get out of her or you run out of bodies to throw at me. Personally, I don't want anyone to die."_

_"That makes two of us," the SWAT captain agreed. He motioned for his men to stand down. "I didn't sign up to shoot kids, super powered or otherwise."_

_They were let go, peacefully, and the news crews gathered around the hospital entrance recorded the kids walking out; the green-tinted teenager in the lead, holding a baby, made very good image bytes. Especially the 'I dare you to fuck with me' expression on her face. Their goal now was to go to City Hall and find their father . . ._

_Present day_

"And we found him, alright," Shego finished. They had finished lunch a short while ago, and Amethyst was playing in the backyard. "Hanging from the ceiling fan in his office."

"Oh, my God," Kim breathed, clasping her hands over her mouth in shock.

"He'd left a note, too. It was addressed 'To the unfortunate soul who finds me.'"

"That's . . . that's terrible."

"It was more traumatic for my brothers than it was for me; my dad and I were never close, though I'd never have wished him dead."

"And Amethyst?"

"Like I said, she calls me 'mommy' because I'm the only mother she's ever known. I know I'm going to have to explain things to her soon, but it makes her happy to call me 'mommy.'"

"Wow," Kim breathed, still stunned by the tale she'd just heard. "And you bought this house then?"

"Yeah, but I didn't move into it until I'd left Team Go. Had a good inheritance from Mom and Dad, so I was good for a while. Getting the house took most of it, so I invested the rest. And now I'm one rich bitch."

"Just . . . just how rich are you now?"

"If the full disclosing of my wealth ever came to light, since I have it in a variety of accounts in a variety of countries, I'd make the millennium's Top Five Richest People list in a heartbeat."

"Holy. Shit," Kim said.

"Language, Kimmie."

**E/N:** And there it is. The 'reveal chapter.' One hell of a story, eh?


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** This story is a request from Kigo4evR. She had the idea for it, as well as the backstory, and asked me to write it for her. She came up with Shego's real name for this story, Sheridan Jane Goodman, as well as the real names for her brothers: Henry (Hego), Michael (Mego), and William and Walter (the Wegos). So credit for this story goes to her; I'm just presenting it. ;D

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 4 – First Comes **_**Like**_**, Then **_**Love**_ _Goodman Residence_

After Kim had left for home – she'd decided against going to mall right now – Shego sat there staring into her soda for a moment. She hadn't expected to run into the redhead like this, and definitely not this soon after quitting Drakken. And, as long as she was being honest with herself, she hadn't expected to blab out her whole past like that. Kim hadn't even pushed or pressured her to answer the questions she'd asked; Shego had volunteered everything herself.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Amethyst asked, breaking into her thoughts. She blinked, then smiled at the eight-year-old.

"I'm fine, baby," she replied, pulling the girl onto her lap.

"Who was the lady?"

"She's . . . well, I guess you could say she's someone I happen to know." She wasn't sure how to explain the intricacies of her relationship with Kim Possible to her little sister.

"Is she your friend?" the silver-eyed girl asked. _That_ stopped Shego. _Was_ Kim her friend? It was true that they never really tried to kill each other whenever they fought; in fact, their fights were more like workouts than fights. At least after the first year. _And then there was the Bueno Nacho thing_, the raven-haired woman thought. It hadn't been until near the end that she'd learned about Drakken's whole scheme. It had bothered her that Drakken had toyed with the teen's emotions like that, though it _had_ been effective in keeping her off the scent of his plan. She also had to admit that she had that ass-kicking she'd gotten from Kim coming to her – _both_ of them. And both times, the teen had knocked her into something: the first time, it had been a series of punches that knocked her into a wall, and the second time it had been a kick that sent her flying into the signal tower for the Li'l Diablos. They respected each other as fighters, Shego believed, even if they fought for different values. _Or are they different?_ she asked herself.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, coming out of her thoughts. "I used to work for a very bad man, and I did some bad things. I didn't kill anybody, but I was still doing bad things."

"Why?" _Typical response_, Shego thought with some amusement.

"Because of my brothers," she explained. "They're super heroes – real super heroes – but they aren't really the best at it. Two of them are more concerned about themselves than helping out, and the other two . . . well, they're pretty decent. I got tired of all of the arguing and fighting, tired of people not liking me or trusting me because I actually _looked_ different, so I stopped being a super hero."

"_You_ were a super hero, too, Mommy?" Amethyst surprised and delighted.

"I was, but then I became a super villain. I stole things that didn't belong to me, and helped that bad man I kinda told you about try to take over the world a few times. That lady who was here? Her name is Kim Possible, and I guess you could call her a super hero, too."

"Does she have powers?"

"Not a one," Shego told her. "But she isn't an ordinary girl, either. She has no powers, but she can do anything she puts her mind to. She doesn't need powers to be super; what makes her super is that she doesn't _have_ powers, yet manages to save the world from bad guys everyday."

"Do you like her, Mommy? You sound like you do." The question startled her so much that her jaw dropped open. Amethyst giggled at the expression on her face.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" she growled playfully. "Let me teach you a lesson about making fun of people." She pushed her little sister down and began tickling her ribs, making the little girl squeal and laugh. Taking a deep breath, she exposed Amethyst's stomach and gave her raspberry, making her squeal even louder.

_Possible Residence_

"How was the mall, honey?" Ann asked, looking up as her daughter walked in through the kitchen door.

"I, um, I didn't go," Kim confessed as she shut the door.

"Then where have you been all this time? Did you go see Ron?"

"No, I, uh, stayed rather close, actually."

"Kim, are you hiding something?"

"I was spending time with Shego," she blurted out in a rush.

"Shego? You mean that plasma powered woman who works for Drew?" her mother asked, shocked.

"She doesn't work for him anymore," Kim said quickly, trying to reassure her mom. "She quit a few days ago, during my last mission."

"And you're saying she lives nearby?"

"Well, Sheridan Goodman lives nearby, and she just happens to look like Shego," the redheaded teen said. Seeing her mom's skeptical expression, she went on. "She's really nice, Mom. Honest."

"Hasn't she been trying to kill for you the past three or four years?" her mom asked.

"Kill me? No!" Kim replied, horrified at the suggestion. "Okay, well, whenever we fought in my first year as a globe-trotting teen hero, yeah, she did. But after that, after I proved I could not only hold my own against her but give back as good as I got, she stopped trying to kill and started testing me."

"Testing you?"

"I know it sounds weird, but that's how it seemed. It was . . . it was more like a workout than a fight, Mom."

"Well, I trust you to make smart decisions, Kimmie," Ann said with a sigh.

"There's . . . there's something else, too."

"What? You have a crush on her?" She'd just been kidding, but watching her daughter's jaw drop open told her she'd been right on the money. "You _have _a crush on her?"

Kim blushed and nodded, too embarrassed to speak.

"Just be sure about things before going any further, okay?"

"Um, yeah, sure, okay," Kim agreed, stunned by her mother's easy acceptance of that. "But, um, that's not what I was going to say."

"You don't need to beat around the bush, dear," her mom told her. "You know you can tell me anything."

So for the next half-hour or so, Kim explained to her mom what Shego had told her. At the end of it all, Ann was shaking her head – not in disbelief at what she'd just heard, but in amazement at it.

"She's had a rough life," Kim said, "but she has someone that made it all worth it."

"I'll admit, she _is_ an amazing woman," her mom agreed. "Are you sure, though, that you want to try for a relationship with her? And I don't mean a romantic one, specifically, but any kind of a relationship."

"I'm sure, Mom," she answered. "You've got to walk before you run, and crawl before you walk. Shego and I know each other through the fights we've had while she worked for Drakken, but we don't really _know_ each other. And . . . well, her little sister is just adorable."

"You definitely sound smitten," Ann said, smiling at the blush that appeared on her daughter's face. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Kim confessed. "I mean, Ron's on vacation and Monique's at work right now, so I don't really have anybody to hang out with right now."

"I wish I could you help, Kimmie, really," her mom replied. "But I'm going to have to leave for work in an hour or so."

"It's okay, Mom," she said. "Where are the tweebs?"

"Your brothers' are at a friend's house right now, and your father should be home from the science center in a couple of hours." Ann stood up and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I'm sorry there's no one for you waste time with. What about the girls from the cheer squad?"

"Bonnie and I . . . _detest_ one another," Kim told her. "And I don't know any of the others that well."

"I'm sorry, hun," her mom said. "I wish I could help you out."

"I know, Mom," she replied, sighing. "I'll figure something out."

Unfortunately for her, she never did figure anything out, and spent the rest of the evening bored out of her mind. Well, mostly bored. She found herself daydreaming about Shego, though.

_Goodman Residence, the next day_

Amethyst was watching some Saturday morning cartoons while eating a bowl of some kind of marshmellow cereal when there was a knock on the front door. Shego, who had just walked into her living room with a cup of coffee, had a good idea who it was. Shaking her head, though there was an amused smile on her lips, she walked over to the door and opened it - finding _exactly_ who she'd thought it would be.

"Did you even bother to have breakfast before coming over here?" she asked dryly, clad only in a sea green tank top and a pair of black shorts. It looked like the redhead's brain had shorted out, for she just stood there and stared. "Earth to Kim, come in, Kim, over."

"Huh? What?" she replied, blinking.

"Did you eat before you raced over here?"

"I, um, had a couple of slices of toast," she said. Shego snorted.

"That's a snack, not breakfast," she retorted. "Goddess, I hope you don't move out on your own anytime soon; you'd starve yourself."

"I would not!" she replied indignantly.

"Just shut up and come in," the raven-haired woman told her. "You need a real breakfast. Go sit on the couch with Amethyst."

"But-"

"Now."

Nodding meekly, Kim did as she was told. The little white-haired girl looked up as she walked in and smiled.

"Hi!" Amethyst said happily.

"Hey, there," Kim replied, just as cheerful.

"You want to watch cartoons with me?"

"Sure."

"Mommy doesn't usually let me eat in the living room," she explained, "except for on Saturdays."

"My mom did the same thing to me."

"Do you like my mommy?" Kim's reactions was the same as Shego's had been yesterday, and it made Amethyst giggle. "She did the same thing when I asked her, too," she said, still giggling. Pulling herself together, Kim smiled at the little girl.

"Actually, yeah, I do," she told her.

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"No. I think she's beautiful."

"Why?"

"Well . . . that's kind of hard to explain," Kim admitted. "I can't really pick out anything specific that makes her beautiful; because it isn't any one thing that makes her beautiful." Amethyst was staring at her intently, so Kim went on. "I've known Shego for about four years now. Well, sort of."

"She told me that you're like a super hero." Kim laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"And that she was a bad guy."

"I wouldn't call her bad guy," the redhead replied. She was unaware of Shego standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, listening. "Sure, she did some bad things but that doesn't make her bad. Sometimes, good people have to do bad things. And sometimes, it turns out to be a good thing. It could stop a really bad person from doing something worse."

"Like if someone has cancer?"

"Yeah, I guess. Cancer is bad, and one of the medicines to help stop it hurts the person in a different way." She smiled at the girl. "You know what? You're pretty smart for someone as young as you."

"That's what my mommy says, too," Amethyst replied. She looked a little sad. "I know she isn't my mommy, that she's really my sister. She tried to tell me once, but I didn't really want to hear it. She's the only mommy I've known."

"It's okay, sweetie," Kim said, pulling the little girl onto her lap. "She understands, and so do I. That's what makes her special. She loves you, and knows that you calling her 'mommy' makes you happy, and that's what she really wants for you." Amethyst gave her a big hug, one that Kim returned. It gave Shego the time she needed to wipe the tears from her eyes and clear her throat.

"I hope I'm not interrupting the hug fest here," she said, "but your breakfast is ready, Princess." She gave no sign that she'd heard the conversation between the two, even though Kim's words meant a lot to her. _I guess I_ do_ like her_, she admitted to herself as she walked back into the kitchen.

**E/N:** And here's chapter four. Sorry for the delay; I was trying to figure out where to take the story next.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** This story is a request from Kigo4evR. She had the idea for it, as well as the backstory, and asked me to write it for her. She came up with Shego's real name for this story, Sheridan Jane Goodman, as well as the real names for her brothers: Henry (Hego), Michael (Mego), and William and Walter (the Wegos). So credit for this story goes to her; I'm just presenting it. ;D

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 5 - Trouble**

_Drakken's Lair_

No one, not even Global Justice, knew how he'd managed it, but somehow Drakken had escaped from prison. Shego was nowhere to be found, as far as Global Justice was concerned, and according to Kim Possible she was no longer working for the blue scientist. GJ could have gone after Shego, and would have under normal circumstances, but the teen hero had personally vouched for her future behavior. And had threatened retribution on Global Justice's network – via Wade – if they tried to bring her in. So with Shego sidelined as a villain, GJ was at a loss as to who would have busted Drakken out of prison.

"Dude, you have _got_ to get a better place. Like, seriously," said Ed Lipsky, better known as Motor Ed, as he looked around Drakken's lair. "You don't even have any _wheels_, man."

"Well, Ed, you _did_ just break me out of prison," Drakken told him in a strained tone; he may have been family, but sometimes his cousin could drive him crazy.

"Speaking of that, man, where's the bad ass green babe? She usually does that kind of party. Like, seriously."

"Shego is the reason I was _in_ prison!" he yelled. "If it wasn't for her giving up, Kim Possible wouldn't have caught me!"

"Whoa, dude. You need to chill big time, bro. Like, seriously," Motor Ed replied, holding up his hands. "So the red babe is the reason you were chillin' in the slammer. I dig ya, man. So what's your plan?"

"I need to make Shego pay for abandoning me! For years I have had to put up with disobedience and insubordination! She has mocked me and degraded me ever since I hired her! Always trying to bring me down!"

"She's got a bodacious bod, though. Like, seriously. So you need to get even with her, man. Slam her the way she slammed you."

"Exactly!" Drakken agreed. "About the getting even thing, that is."

"So how ya gonna do that, man? It's not like you know where her crib is, cuz."

"Actually, Ed, I _do_ happen to know that little fact."

"Like, seriously? Rock _on_, man! Air guitar!" And Motor Ed proceeded to perform an air guitar solo, complete with self-provided sound effects. "So what's the next move, bro? Like, seriously." Drakken was starting to get a twitch every time his cousin said that phrase.

"I can't just have henchmen or syntho-drones go charging in there," he said after a moment. "Shego would tear them apart with no problem, and then would come after me. I need to spy on her, find out what she does, _then_ I'll set a trap to capture her! Once I do that, and get her here, I'll use one of my still to be patented obedience chips on her to make her the loyal sidekick she's supposed to be!"

"Gnarly plan, man! Rock it, blue dude! Like, seriously!"

_Possible Residence_

Kim was heading to the door with the intention of heading over to Shego's when her mom called out to her. With a faint groan, she turned around and headed to the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom, what's up?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Where are you headed off to?" Ann asked her daughter, sipping her coffee.

"I was . . . heading off to Shego's," she replied, not wanting to lie.

"Isn't this the third day in a row you've gone over there?"

"Well, yeah, but she doesn't mind."

"Kim, I know you like her, but should you give her some space?"

"Mom, everything's okay. And her little sister likes having me over."

"Little sister?"

"Um, yeah. She lives there with her little sister. It's . . . rather complicated to explain."

"How old is she?"

"She's . . . eight." Her mom raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Eight?" she repeated, stunned.

"Like I said, it's complicated to explain."

"Why don't you bring Shego over here so we can all discuss this?"

"_Mooom_," Kim moaned, exasperated.

"Don't start, Kimmie. If you're wanting a relationship with her, even if it's just a close friendship, then I should talk to her about this situation with her sister. How close does she live?"

"You know that house down the way? The one that's green with black trimming?"

"Yes."

"That's her house."

"Are you serious? She lives that close to us?"

"Yes." Ann shook her head in amazement.

"Should we bring Amethyst with us?"

"Who?"

"Her little sister."

"I want to say 'yes' since she shouldn't be left alone, but I won't keep the two of you long, since I have to be at work in a short while."

"I think Shego's got a good security system in her house," Kim offered. Then she chuckled. "In all honesty, it's probably better than the security system at Fort Knox."

_Goodman Residence_

"Are you sure she'll be alright by herself?" Kim asked as she and Shego walked out of the front door, which the older woman promptly locked.

"Didn't you tell your mom that my house was better protected than Fort Knox?" Shego replied, turning to face the redhead.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then don't worry about it. Besides, if I feel like things are taking too long I can always leave. Did you walk here or drive?"

"I walked."

"Then we'll take my car to save time."

They climbed into Shego's sleek car, Kim marveling at the interior, and pulled out of the driveway to go to her house. Neither one noticed the van parked across the street, and if they had they wouldn't have seen anything suspicious about a cable company van in the area. As the two women drove away, the man in the driver's seat of the van lifted a bulky satellite phone up. If anyone had gotten close enough, they would have seen he was wearing a mask and uniform under his cable company 'uniform' that was red and black, with the mask leaving his mouth and nose exposed.

"Snowman Hank, this is Little Reindeer," the henchman said into the sat phone. "The Grinch and the Candy Cane have left the Igloo."

"_Haha! Good work, Little Reindeer,"_ Drakken replied, chortling with glee. _"Begin Operation Holiday Special now!"_

"Affirmative, Snowman," the hencman confirmed, turning off the sat phone. Then he shook his head. "I've got to find a better line of work," he muttured to himself as he knocked on the metal divider between the cab of the van and the back.

_Possible Residence_

"And that's pretty much what happened, Ann," Shego said, sitting back. "Drakken's been putting me on edge a little bit with each job I've pulled, and it all came to a head a few days ago."

"And how does your little sister fit into all of this?" the elder Possible woman asked.

"That's a much longer story than I want to spend time on today," she replied. "But I'll say this, though: I've been taking care of her since she was born. Being a villain was the quickest way to get money to invest with. It may not have been the right thing to do, I'll admit, but I'm not a mercenary do-gooder like Team Impossible or an altruistic and selfless individual like Kimmie here." Kim blushed at the compliment, and failed to hide a small smile.

"Speaking of Kim, it isn't a bother her coming over to your house so often, is it?"

"There are plenty of sarcastic and witty remarks I could make right here," the green-tinted woman said, "but I don't want to give you the wrong impression so I'll stick with the truth. It's a relief having her there. And not in a bad way. It's a lot harder cooking for two than you'd think, especially when one's a picky eight-year-old. Having Kim there makes it easier to cook, plus Amethyst likes having her around. And . . . so do I, to be honest."

There wasn't a chance to carry on that conversation as a piercing wail interrupted everything. Shego snatched her phone from her pants pocket and her eyes widened.

"Someone just broke into my house!" she yelled, bolting from the chair. Kim was right behind her.

"Get ready to call the cops, but not just yet, Mom!" the redheaded teen shouted back into the house. She had just sprang into the passenger seat and shut the door when Shego gunned the car in reverse, shifted gears faster than a NASCAR driver, and tore off down the block.

_Goodman_

When Shego's car roared into her driveway, the two women saw the missing front door. Kim pulled a couple of flash-bang pellets from her pocket as she and Shego – now with ignited hands – leapt out of the car and charged through the missing door.

They skidded to a stop, jaws slightly agape, when they saw Amethyst calmly sitting on the living room floor, eating a bowl of cereal and watching one of those educational cartoons intended to make learning fun. She looked up when she heard them come in and smiled happily. Setting her half-empty bowl down, she jumped up and ran to them, throwing her arms around Shego.

"Mommy!" she said happily.

"Amethyst!" Shego said, dousing her hands and wrapping her arms around her little sister. Kim tapped her on the shoulder and, when the other woman looked at her, she pointed to herself, towards the back of the house, then made a circle with her finger. When Shego nodded her understanding, Kim gave a small grin and vanished, searching the rest of the house for anyone hiding.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" the raven-haired woman asked, pulling Amethyst back so she could see her face.

"Uh-huh," the little girl said, still smiling. "I'm fine."

"Well, what happened?"

"Some bad people came into the house. They broke the door, so that's why I thought they were bad."

"They were if they didn't have the keys to get in here," Shego agreed. "But where are they now?"

"The rest of the house is cle-" Kim started to say as she rounded the corner. She cut herself off, though, for no reason that Shego could tell. Standing up, she walked up to the teen.

"You gonna finish?" she asked.

"Um, Shego?"

"What?"

"Turn around and . . . look up."

Shego did as she was told, and felt her jaw drop when she saw what Kim was staring at. There, floating up against the living room ceiling, were five of Drakken's henchman.

"How the he-eck did they get up _there_?" Shego asked, nearly saying something inappropriate in front of her little sister.

"I put them up there," Amethyst said, immediately drawing both of the women's gazes. "I did," she pouted.

"How?" her big sister wanted to know.

"Kinda like this, except backwards," the silver-eyed girl said as she waved her hand at the ceiling. Shego had to yank her out of the way as the five tall, muscled men dropped the nine or so feet from the ceiling to the floor. Shego and Kim stared in shock at the five henchmen, then looked at each other in stunned disbelief.

"I think we've got trouble," Kim said.

"In more ways than one," Shego agreed.

**E/N:** And there's the fifth chapter of MTYS. Motor Ed has broken Drakken out of prison, and Drakken's begun plotting his revenge on Shego. And it looks Amethyst is more than she seems, too. What's going to happen next?


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** This story is a request from Kigo4evR. She had the idea for it, as well as the backstory, and asked me to write it for her. She came up with Shego's real name for this story, Sheridan Jane Goodman, as well as the real names for her brothers: Henry (Hego), Michael (Mego), and William and Walter (the Wegos). So credit for this story goes to her; I'm just presenting it. ;D

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 6 – I Want to Go to the Park Again!**

_Goodman Residence_

"You had no idea she could do something like that?" Kim asked after they were both sure that the police were gone. She'd had Shego call the police to come pick up the henchman; if they'd called Global Justice, there would have been awkward questions. The local police chief would just file it as breaking-and-entering with attempted theft and leave it at that. Kim had thanked him for that, and he told her that it was the least he could do after she'd saved him from a crash during a high-speed chase. The teen just shrugged the praise off, and thanked him again. "You and your girlfriend will need to stop by the station later to make statements about the break-in, but nothing to worry about," he'd said. Both had been surprised by him calling Shego her girlfriend, but one look at each other and neither could deny the fact.

"None at all," Shego replied, dropping down onto her couch. "Though it _would_ explain why the cookie jar got low sometimes."

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Amethyst said, looking like a kicked puppy. Kim stopped her pacing and crouched down next to the girl, enfolding her in a hug.

"Nobody's blaming you, Amy," the redhead told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"That's right, sweetie," Shego agreed, coming over and sitting down in front of her little sister. She smiled at her and gently pulled her into her own hug. "I'm just surprised, that's all. And I'm not mad about the cookie jar."

"I can understand you throwing them around," Kim asked, drawing both their attentions, "but why were they up on the ceiling?"

"I was watching cartoons and they got in front of the tv," the eight-year-old replied.

"That makes sense to me," the green-tinted woman said dryly. She hugged the little girl tightly, then held her back a little. "Amethyst, could you go play in the backyard for a bit? Kim and I need to talk for a bit about grown-up stuff."

"Okay," she agreed, a little sad.

"We can go to the park afterwards, alright?"

"Really?" the white-haired girl said excitedly. Shego nodded. "Can Kim come, too?"

"Well, um, that's not up to me."

"Sure, I'll come," Kim said, smiling. Excited, Amethyst let out a squeal and rushed to the backyard, leaving the two women chuckling. "You think she got powers from the comet, too," the redhead added.

"It's the only explanation I've got," Shego confirmed. "She was a week away from being born, remember? Besides, Hego and the Wegos stayed _looking_ normal. Only Mego and I changed colors."

"She did, too, you know. Unless hair that white and silver eyes are 'normal.'"

"Okay, you got a point," she conceded with a sigh. "I was hoping she'd actually be normal, you know? As far as powers go, that is."

"I can understand that, but I think you're being too hard on her – _and_ yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"You blame the comet – and your powers – for 'ruining' your life. It wasn't your fault."

"I thought I was blaming the comet."

"The comet gave you and your brothers power – and sister now – powers, and took away your mom. And your dad . . . died . . . when he learned about his wife's death. I think you blame yourself for at least your dad taking his own life because if you hadn't had your powers you wouldn't have been place in a quarantine section of the hospital. The comet was the cause of it all." Kim reached out and put a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "I know you understand all of that, so you just need to move on now."

"Maybe . . . maybe my girlfriend could help me," Shego replied with a sly smile. A smile that turned into a full-blown grin when Kim blushed. "If it'll make you feel better, I can 'officially' ask you out. We can just . . . hang out and stuff like that; we don't have to go on any dates if that bothers you."

"If we 'go out,' Shego, I _would_ expect dates," Kim told her, still blushing. "It's what girlfriends and girlfriends do, right? Go out on dates with each other?"

"I think the phrase is actually 'boyfriends and girlfriends' but I get your point," the raven-haired woman said. "Tonight's too soon, I think, so how about Friday? That gives us plenty of time to spend getting to know each other and just spend time with each other. And, of course, Amethyst."

"Of course."

"She really likes you, you know. I imagine if she had her way you'd never leave here."

"That doesn't sound too bad, though it wouldn't be possible since I'm under eighteen right now."

"I thought 'anything was possible for a Possible,'" Shego replied, quoting Kim's motto and making her laugh.

"Alright, you have a point," Kim said. "I don't think my mom would approve, but we can talk to her about it."

"Good deal. Now, let's pack some food."

"I thought we were going to the park?"

"Have you never heard of a picnic, Kimmie?"

_Drakken's Lair_

"They failed! Six of my best henchmen and they failed to get Shego! And now they're in jail!" Drakken ranted and raved.

"Dude, you need to chill. Like, seriously," Motor Ed replied. "Throw a party, get some wheels and go racing, man. Hey, bro, _that's_ an evil plan! Steal some wheels, jack them up, and then go tearing through downtown Middleton! Air guitar!"

"Enough, Ed!" the blue man snapped.

"Yo! Do _not_ interrupt the maned man when he's doing air guitar! That's rude, man. Like, seriously."

"This isn't about your obsession with cars and your girly hair!"

"Yo!" Motor Ed shouted. "Do _not_ be dissin' the mane! It's a _mullet_! Business up front, party in the back! Like, seriously!"

"Okay, okay, sorry," Drakken said testily. "Anyway, this is about _my_ revenge on Shego for betraying me!"

"Dude, you need to switch to decaf. Like, seriously."

_Middleton Park_

They had taken Shego's car to the park, because Amethyst wanted Kim to sit with her. The redhead kept the girl entertained with games like 'I, Spy' and some kind of alphabet game. Hearing her little sister having so much fun brought a smile to the woman's face, and the knowledge that her former rival was the reason brought a warmth to her heart. She didn't know if she was falling in love with Kim or not – she _was_ sure she really liked the younger woman – but she wouldn't mind if that happened.

When they got to the park, they decided to just walk around first. Kim and Shego walked beside each other while Amethyst ran around, jumping and laughing. After all, with no idea how it had happened, the two women found themselves holding hands. Simultaneously, they both looked down at their entwined hands, then up at the other's face. Smiles broke out and they went back to watching the eight-year-old ball of energy wear herself out – while still holding hands. They were drawing stares – after all, it's not often that two women as hot as they were out in public – but for the most part they ignored them. One couple was watching them with a hint of distaste, revealing their bias against same-sex couples, and Kim raised up her free arm and flipped them off. Shego looked to see who she was insulting and smirked when she saw the man and woman move off.

"Never thought you had it in you, Princess," she said, looking at her.

"I just hate bigoted people who think they know better," she replied.

"What say we head back to the car and get the food? I saw a good place to set up the picnic."

Once the blanket was set up, Shego pulled out the loaf of Italian bread along with a selection of meats and cheeses, plus some lettuce and tomato. Sandwiches were made to each person's taste, and the former villain pulled out a juice pouch for Amethyst while grabbing a couple of sodas for her and Kim. To anyone who happened to glance at them, they appeared to be a happy family.

A moment of contentment that was ended when a group of henchman and snytho-drones showed up. Naturally, everyone else in the park screamed and ran, trying to get away.

Kim and Shego weren't everyone else.

"I'm going to fu- _talk_ to Drakken about this," Shego growled, nearly swearing in front of Amethyst.

"Swear jar!" the little girl said.

"I know, I know," her big sister replied, bringing a giggle from Kim. She sent a glare at the redhead, who responded with a look of pained innocence, before igniting her hands. "At least this'll substitute for my workout today."

"Bring it on," Kim agreed, shifting into a fighting stance. Her girlfriend immediately launched an offensive, sending a burst of plasma into the henchmen – though it was actually directed at one who was toting a large tube-like device of some kind. Not wanting to take any chances, Shego fired off a shot of plasma at the thing as Kim flipped into the air and landed in front of charging snytho-drone. The device exploded as Kim ducked under a swing and punched her fist through the syntho-drone's uniform/'skin.' As syntho-goo began spilling out of the collapsing drone, the redhead dropped into a full-legged split to avoid a kick aimed at her head, then rolled over and used her hands to launch her feet into the chest of another syntho-drone. Not to be outdone, Shego closed with the henchmen and slammed one into the ground with a viscious hook kick to the head and used the momentum from the kick to swing herself around completely to land a powerful punch into the gut of the goon behind him. Kim slid between the legs of a syntho-drone, planted her hands and straightened her legs. She wrapped her ankles around the syntho-drone's neck and then dropped herself foreward, using her weight and pendulum momentum to swing herself back between its legs while throwing it backwards. It flew into a nearby tree – and impaled itself upon a low branch that a groundskeeper had forgotten to trim off. Shego concentrated the glow in her hands to blinding intensity and threw them at a pair of henchmen. They were surprised when she stopped less than an inch from their chests.

"Betcha thinkin' you just got lucky," she said with a sinister chuckle – right before she converted the heat and light of her plasma into pure kinetic energy. The resulting 'explosion' hit the two _un_lucky henchmen with the force of a battering ram and they flew backwards between two trees. "It's good!" Shego shouted, throwing her arms straight up in the air. After seeing just how badly outmatched they were, the remaining henchmen and syntho-drones withdrew. Well, fled as fast as they could move would be more accurate. Walking up to each other, Kim and Shego watched them flee before exchanging high fives. When they looked back at Amethyst, though, they found her staring at them with wide eyes and an open mouth. Before either could speak, though, the eight-year-old said something that made them laugh.

"I want to go to the park again!"

_Drakken's Lair_

"I can't believe this!" Drakken shouted as he learned that not only had his henchmen and syntho-drones failed to capture Shego, but Kim Possible _and_ a little girl had been there, as well. To top things off, four _more_ of his henchmen had been arrested by the police.

"Dude, the green babe is bad _ass_, man," Motor Ed put in with a wolf whistle. "Like, seriously! And Red? That girl is also a pretty bodacious babe."

"You know that doesn't help me in any way."

"You gotta look at it this way, man," the blond muscled man said, drapping an arm around his cousin's shoulders. "You may have gotten two strikes, but there's still your third one. Like, seriously. Kidnapping her hasn't worked at all, so you just need to change the tools you're using."

"I just need a new plan," Drakken said.

"Right on, man! Since you can't get her here, make _her_ come to _you_! Like, seriously!"

_Global Justice HQ_

"Would you mind repeating that, Agent Du?" Betty asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, ma'am," the Asian man said. "We've been able to confirm that Shego _has_ stopped working for Doctor Drakken, has an already established civilian life, and has taken up with Kim Possible. There is also a little girl involved, though our agents report that she appears to be related to Shego in some way. Also, on two occassions, henchmen wearing the same uniforms as Doctor Drakken's henchmen have assaulted them on two occassions now; the first being at her home and the second in Middleton Park."

"Why didn't the local police report this to us?"

"It would seem that the police chief owes Kim Possible a favor, and is undoubtedly filing the incidents as 'low-key' so as not to alert our network taps."

"So Shego's gone straight, is going out with Kim Possible, and either has a daughter or a sister," Dr. Director mused. She nodded. "Maintain covert surveillance only. Do not ready any strike teams, do nothing but observe."

"Yes, ma'am," Du replied, saluting. As he left her office, Betty thought, _I don't know what's going on, but as long as Shego doesn't _cause_ any trouble I'll leave her alone. For now._

**E/N:** And here's chapter six. This one was a _lot_ of fun to write, and I hope y'all enjoy it, too.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** The title for this story was inspired by the song 'Closer' by Tegan and Sara.

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 7 – Closer**

_Possible Residence_

After Shego had driven them back to her house, Kim bade the two women goodbye, though Amethyst wasn't really happy that Kim was leaving. The red-head promised she'd be back the very next day. The white-haired girl made her pinky-promise, which Kim did easily. Then she got in her car and headed home. When she got there, she found her dad in the kitchen instead of her mom.

"Hey, there, Kimmie-cub," her dad said.

"Hey, Dad," she replied, smiling and hugging him.

"How was your day with Shego?" he asked.

"You _know_ about us?"

"Your mom and I _do_ happen to talk, you know. Sorry I've been so busy with the science center."

"It's no big, Dad," she told him. "And things went pretty well. Well, except for the syntho-drones attacking during our picnic."

"Drew at it again?"

"I think he wants revenge on Sheri for quitting."

"Sheri?"

"Sheridan. That's, um, Shego's real name."

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm glad you two still had a good time." He looked at her. "You _did_ have a good time, right?"

"The best, Dad," Kim agreed.

"You do seem to be happier now."

"I really like her, Dad. I don't know if it'll be more, but we're dating right now. Well, sort of, anyway. We haven't had an official date yet."

"Why the delay, Kimmie-cub?" he asked.

"Well, there is her little sister to think about," his daughter replied. "Sheri's . . . well, she's been the one taking care of her since she was born. The meteor that gave Shego and her brothers their powers killed their mother, so . . . so Sheri's been the only 'mother' Amethyst has known."

"That's a terrible thing," he said, shaking his head. "To lose a parent at such a young age. What about their father?"

"Well, Sheri said . . . said that he had committed . . . suicide shortly afterwards."

"Amethyst is lucky to have a sister like Sheridan, then."

"So . . . you don't mind us dating?"

"Kim," James said, holding her out a ways, "if she makes you happy, and you make her happy, then I have nothing against it. It takes all kinds of people, and families, to make this world work the way it should. You're my daughter, and I'll always love you. Nothing will change that."

"Thanks, Dad," she replied, hugging him again.

"Why don't the two of you take tomorrow for yourselves?" James suggested.

"But what about Amethyst?"

"I'll be home in the morning, and your mother will be back from the hospital about the time I need to leave for the science center. We can watch her."

"Wow, really?" Kim was surprised. "You'd do that for us?"

"Everyone needs at least one day to themselves every now and then. Of course, you'll have to see how Sheri feels about it, first."

"Then, um, there's something you should know, Dad."

"What's that, Kimmie-cub?"

"Amethyst is a telekinetic."

"That will make things interesting."

_The next day_

When Kim came by the next morning, and pitched her father's offer, she was surprised by her girlfriend's acceptance of it. But not as surprised as Shego was that it had been made. She hadn't had much kindness in her life, so getting it was always surprising and moving for her. She told Kim they'd be by around nine or so, so the redhead went back home to tell her dad and to change. She had no idea what they'd do with a whole day to themselves, but she was sure Sheri would have some ideas. Kim took a shower, and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She went to her room and let the towel fall to the floor – after making sure her door was locked and her window covered. She wouldn't put it past the tweebs to try and get some embarrassing pictures of her for blackmail. Going to the closet, she looked through it, trying to find something that was nice enough to wear for a date, but casual enough for all-day wearing. She finally settled on a pair of white capris, a pink vest-like shirt that zipped up in the front, and a pair of ankle-high boots, too. When she heard the doorbell ring, she'd just finished putting on her boots. By the time she'd gotten downstairs, her father had already answered the door.

"Hey, Mister Possible," Shego said. Amethyst was shyly hiding behind her.

"Morning, Sheridan," he said, smiling.

"You can call me 'Sheri,' Mister Possible," she told him.

"And who's this?" he asked nicely, crouching down to look Amethyst in the eyes.

"Say 'hi,' Amethyst," Sheri told her, gently nudging her.

"Hi," the little girl said in a quiet voice. James smiled.

"Hey, it's alright," he said. "I don't bite. I'm Mister Possible, Kim's dad. Would you like to watch some cartoons?" Amethyst nodded, then looked up at her big sister.

"Can I, Mommy?" she asked. Sheri nodded, and her little sister smiled. James wasn't perturbed by the girl's words; after all, Ann had explained the situation to him already. When Kim came around the corner, both she and Sheri lost sight of anything else. Kim was stunned when she saw how beautiful her former nemesis and current girlfriend looked: Sheri was wearing a pair of ankle-length dark green slacks, a black shirt with dark green sleeves, and a pair of boots similar to Kim's – but in black and green.

"Wow," they both said simultaneously. "You look hot." Then they blushed in embarrassment and laughed. A cough from Kim's dad made them both jump a little and had them turning red again. Well, Kim turned red; Sherit just became a darker green.

"Let's have some rules here, okay?" James said. He looked at his daughter. "Kimmie-cub, I know it may be summer but I don't want you out _too_ late. And don't _you_ keep her out too late." That last bit was said while looking at Sheri. "Obviously, there better _not_ be anything illegal going on. And if it involves fake IDs and places where you'd need them if you're underage, I better not find out about it." _Is he _endorsing_ a fake ID for . . . clubbing or drinking? _both women thought to themselves. He winked at them, and they knew they were right, which surprised Kim completely. "The only thing I have left to say," he added, "is that you two just have fun and enjoy today. You're little sister will be fine, Sheri. Jim and Tim are over at a friend's house right now, but when they get home they'll know that testing her powers is completely off limits."

"Thanks, Mister Possible," she replied, actually at ease.

"Normally," he told her, "I'd say 'call me James' at this point, but considering you're dating my daughter it'd be best if we stick with 'Mister Possible' for now." Then he smiled. "Now, you two go and enjoy your day. Come on, Amethyst, I'll go put on some cartoons for you and get you some snacks." Then, with one more wink at the two young women, he led the little girl into the living room before going to the kitchen.

"So," Sheri said, a little nervous, "you're car or mine?"

"How about yours?" Kim suggested, just as nervous – if not more so.

"Yeah, sure," the older woman agreed. When they headed to the front door, she reached forward and opened it for her date. Touched, Kim leaned forward (and up a little) and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was even more touched when, after reaching Sheri's car, the woman opened the passenger door for her.

"Going all out today, aren't you?" Kim said with a wink. Sheri blushed, earning a giggle from the redhead. Still blushing, she went and climbed into the driver's seat. Starting the car up, she looked over at her smiling girlfriend and asked, "So . . . where do you want to go first, Pumpkin?"

"How about the museum?" she suggested.

"I'm not really one for museums," she said.

"You went to them all the time when you were working for Drakken."

"I was _breaking into_ them when I worked for Drakken. I've never gone 'recreationally.' History really isn't my thing."

"Aww, come on, please?" Kim asked. Then something began happening to her face. Her eyes got big and sad-looking, and her lower lip pouted out. Whatever was going on, the expression created a huge, horrible feeling of guilt within Sheri.

"C-come," she stammered, wanting to look away but unable to do so. "Whatever that is, turn it off! Please! Okay, okay! We'll go!" Instantly, Kim was smiling again. "Geez, Princess! What _was_ that, anyway?"

"My patented 'Puppy-Dog Pout,'" the redhead replied smugly.

"Geez, Kimmie. I was _never_ that cruel to you back when we were rivals."

"Helping Drakken toy with my emotions to keep me distracted so I wouldn't be able to figure out his scheme?" she reminded the raven-haired woman.

"Okay, _that_ wasn't me, remember? Just . . . _please_ don't do that . . . that pout again."

"I'm not making any promises," Kim said as Sheri backed out of the driveway and they headed into town. Sheri got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at those words, suspecting that she might, one day, be at the mercy of that pout again.

_Middleton History Museum_

When they pulled up to the Middleton History Museum, Sheri was surprised to see a large banner across the front of the building, above the main entrance. It read

3 DAYS ONLY: THE HISTORY OF MARTIAL ARTS EXHIBIT

She turned an accusing gaze upon Kim, who was looking a little too innocent right now.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" she asked, though it wasn't really a question. A smile flickered across Kim's still-innocent face, confirming the taller woman's statement.

"Surprise," Kim told her, not bothering to hide her smile any longer.

"You could have told me, Kimmie."

"Then it wouldn't have been a _surprise_, Firefly."

"'Firefly,' Princess?" Sheri was surprised at the nickname; Kim had never given her one before.

"Well, yeah," she replied. "I mean, you light up my life every time I see you." The redhead blushed as she said that, prompting a smile from the other woman. She leaned over and kissed the younger woman lightly on the lips.

"It's cute," she said. Then she held up a warning finger. "But only _you_ get to use it with me, okay?"

"Deal," Kim replied, a little breathless from the light but intense kiss. Then Sheri climbed out of the car. Kim was just unbuckling when the other woman leaped across the hood of her car and opened the door for her. "This is a change," the redhead said, "but it's a nice one."

"Well, I'm taking you out, remember?" the raven-haired woman said. "I want to treat you like the princess I believe you are." Kim blushed at the compliment, then hooked her own arm through Sheri's proffered one. Arm in arm, the young couple walked into the museum.

_Middleton Mall_

The exhibit proved to better than either woman had expected, and they had both learned more about the first thing they'd had in common. After leaving the museum, Sheri suggested a movie, and Kim said she'd heard the new Buck Morris movie was playing at the theater in the Middleton Mall.

Sheri violated the speed limit and a few traffic laws to get there.

"I didn't realize you liked Buck Morris that much," Kim said a little shakily

"Sorry about the ride, Princess," Sheri replied apologetically. "Buck Morris is one bad-ass dude. As a martial artist – at least as far as skill goes, anyway – I'm pretty sure I can match him, or even take him down. But every character plays doesn't just rely on the fighting skills; they usually have a gun of some kind – often a powerful shotgun, automatic rifle, or a machine gun."

"He _is_ pretty bad-ass," her girlfriend agreed. "I don't usually get to watch his movies because of Jim and Tim."

"What about Stoppable?"

"Ron? He doesn't usually go for those 'heavy' action movies. At least, none that are any good."

"You ever wonder how you'd stack up against those legendary martial artists?" Sheri asked as they walked into the mall and headed towards the theater complex. It wasn't a big one, and only had two screens.

"You mean like Bruce Lee, Mackie Fhan, or Set Chi?" Kim elaborated.

"Not just them, though Bruce Lee _is_ the legend of legends," she replied. "Others that are just as good – or better in some respects – but aren't famous because of movies or reputation. Or aren't _as_ famous, I should add."

"I have," the redhead admitted as they bought their tickets and headed to the snack bar. "I'm sure I wouldn't stack well, since many of them have trained long and hard to be as good as they are."

"Pumpkin – Kim – you've got natural skill. Sure, you haven't devoted your life – or even a substantial amount of time – to studying martial arts, but that isn't really a problem. Me? I've spent quite a bit of time working on my fighting skills. My powers are pretty bad-ass, but I never liked depending only on them. Even if I somehow lost my powers, I'd still be a threat now because of how well-trained I am. I know it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn here, and I am a little bit, but bear with me. Until me, Kimmie, you were just an athletic cheerleader with some good moves. And even back then, when we first started tangling, you could keep up with me. And even once I got used to your . . . 'unorthodox' style, you _still_ kept up with me. You picked up fighting moves from me – which was a total surprise when I'd find you using them in our next fight."

"Well, I also watched martial arts films, too," she admitted. "I've never really had any formal training – of any kind."

"You see?" Sheri said triumphantly. Their conversation halted as they got their snacks and drinks. Heading into the screen room playing the Buck Morris movie, it resumed. "Just by watching fighting movies and fighting me, you augmented your cheerleading-honed skills and abilities. Just imagine how much more dangerous you'd be with some _actual_ training."

"Thanks, Sheri," Kim said, blushing at the praise and compliments.

"It's just the truth, Princess," she replied, surprised at herself, as well. She hadn't really articulated her respect and admiration of the younger woman like that before, and certainly not so openly. Nothing more was said, though not for lack of anything to say; they were simply enjoying each other's company in that type of silence that said far more than words could. Soon, though, the trailers and previews started playing and neither wanted to say anything – though they _did_ reach over and hold each other's hand.

_Upperton_

They had both enjoyed the movie immensely, much to the annoyance of the other patrons. Surprisingly, Kim had found she didn't care if the other movie-goers were upset with her and Sheri. When they had left the theater, they were both talking animatedly about the movie – mostly about the fight scenes in it.

"That headbutt he did was unexpected," Sheri had said.

"That _wasn't_ a headbutt," Kim had insisted.

"He slammed his _chin_ into the man's head," she had replied. "What else _would_ you call it?"

"A punch." Sheri had laughed at that, and conceded the point. After leaving the theater, they'd gone to the foodcourt for lunch. It wasn't really 'romantic' per se, but both knew that dinner would be better for a romantic meal. After leaving the mall, they'd headed to the park and just walked around, enjoying the scenary and just talking. They already knew about each others' past, so their conversation centered around their interests, likes, dislikes, and even hopes and dreams. Sheri had her arm around Kim's shoulders, while the redhead had her arm around the taller woman's waist. Neither paid any attention to the looks they were getting, which varied from disgust to envy to admiration. Sheri confessed that she wanted to go to college and become a teacher, a fact which surprised her girlfriend. She, in turn, wasn't too surprised when Kim said she wanted to train and study to work with search-and-rescue teams; what _did_ surprise her about that was Kim stating that she wanted to do SAR work everywhere she could, not just stuff like finding and saving lost mountain climbers or people lost at sea. She wanted to look for people lost in buildings destroyed by earthquakes, trapped in collapsed mine shafts; really dangerous work that had a high chance of ending her life. But if Sheri had learned anything about Kim during their years of 'acquaintance,' it was that she really _could_ do anything she put her mind to. So she had no doubts that not only could Kim do that kind of work, but that she could do it _and_ survive.

After spending a surprising amount of time in the park, walking around or sitting on a bench, Sheri said it was time to leave. Kim wanted to know where they were going next, and her girlfriend said that they were going to go to Upperton for their romantic dinner. It was just mid-afternoon, which confused Kim until she remembered just how far away Upperton was.

Now they were pulling up to a restaurant that practically screamed 'high-class establishment.' There was a valet waiting to park Sheri's car for them, and a maitre'd that led them to a table where a waiter was already standing, ready to take their orders for drinks and appetizers. Seeing that her girlfriend was dazed by the obvious expensiveness of the place, Sheri ordered for them both. The waiter wasn't put off by the request for juices; this restaurant prided itself on excellent service and its non-judgemental policy.

"Sheri . . . I can't afford to eat at a place like this," Kim said, looking worried.

"Relax, Princess," she replied, smiling gently. "_I_ can. This is one of those places where, if you're here, then you can _afford_ to be here."

"I feel bad about not being able to pay my way."

"Kim, relax. Really. _I'm_ the one taking _you_ on a date; I don't mind paying for everything. I've got more money than I honestly know what to do with. Being able to spend it on you, a woman I'm coming to really care about, is . . . well, it makes me happy. Gives me a reason to really be extravagent, you know? And don't worry; I won't be doing this _all_ the time, just on special occassions. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"It's fine," Kim replied. "I'm . . . I'm just not used to it."

"That's understandable. It's really no fun to go to a place like this by yourself, though, so I rarely indulged in it – even back when I was working for Drakken. That guy never had a clue. He seemed to think that I was, somehow, _attracted_ to him and was just playing 'hard-to-get' by refusing his juvenile advances and saying I was a lesbian. Of course, he was too scared of me to push really hard, something I was thankful for."

"I'll bet," Kim agreed, as the waiter returned with their fruit juices and a tray of spicy jumbo butterfly shrimp with cocktail and tartar dipping sauces. High-quality, of course. Sheri then ordered their main courses, choosing a lemon-marinated grilled tilapia filet with parmesan-pepper linguini noodles and a seafood salad with mussels and deep-water lobster meat, while she requested a roasted lamb loin marianated in Mediterranean seasoning with cheese and marinara-stuffed large shell noodles and a spicy chicken salad. When the waiter left to take their orders to the kitchen, Kim looked at Sheri with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I've been here before," Sheri said in answer to her unspoken question. "But both times it was to meet with someone Drakken was trying to make a deal with, and I made _them_ foot the bill."

"I figured you'd have done something like that," she replied with a chuckle.

"Do you . . . do you like the place?"

"I couldn't even dream of myself being here before, but I _do_ like it. I'll agree with you, though, that it's a 'special occassion' place."

"Well, I hope you enjoy the meal," she said. "Because I'm taking you to a dance club afterwards."

"I can't go to a dance club," Kim replied, surprised. "I'm not old enough."

"Relax, Kimmie. This is where the fake ID would come in."

"You have a fake ID for me?"

"No, but you'd be with me and they wouldn't refuse you entrance."

"Do you own the club or something?"

"I don't own it, exactly, Pumpkin. But I _am_ a major investor in it. Plus, I have an all-access pass that I renew every year that allows me to bring a guest – with no questions asked." She shrugged. "I haven't really used it much, though. Never had a reason to before."

"So you've never gone clubbing?"

"I'm not much for the whole 'clubbing scene.' When I go to a club, it's just to unwind and chill."

They tabled their discussion for the moment when the waitstuff came and removed the appetizer trays in order to place the main courses down. Their glasses were refreshed with sparkling – but non-alcoholic – versions of the juices they'd had with their appetizer. Kim took one bite of her food – and her eyes widened.

"Oh. My. God," she said. She looked down at her meal, then back to Sheri. "That is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted."

"They can make pretty much any dish here," Sheri told her. "From fast-food kinds to what you're eating now."

"Fast food? Seriously?"

"Yeah, though it tastes a helluva lot better than anything you'd find in an actual fast-food joint."

"I'll bet," she agreed. She still seemed kind of shocked. "I can't believe I'm at a place this obviously expensive."

"I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable," her girlfriend replied, actually feeling more than a little bit guilty. "I just . . . I just wanted our first date to be . . . you know, extra special."

"Sheri," Kim said, reaching over the table and placing her hand on her girlfriend's. "This is more than okay. I've just never _had_ anyone who would be willing to spend even a _tenth_ of what this must cost on me. Well, willing and capable, that is. I've only recently realized I was a lesbian, which you already know, though I suspect I've preferred women all along."

"So you and Stoppable . . ."

"Never really hit it off as date material. Yeah, we went to prom together, and we _did_ share a kiss, but there just wasn't a spark there."

"So you're 'just friends?'"

"We are now. I haven't really talked to him since he's on vacation. You know, how about me being gay. It's not that I don't trust him, it's just . . ."

"You want to wait until you're more comfortable with yourself before telling him."

"Yeah, exactly."

"I've been there before, Princess. Not me, personally, mind you; I've know I'm a lesbian since I first began learning what 'sex' actually was. I had a girlfriend in high school who was like you – not _exactly_ like you, that is. Just with regards to the 'coming out of the closet' thing." She smiled. "As you can see, we're no longer together. We actually broke up shortly before the whole meteorite shit started. Mutual thing; we'd drifted apart as far as interests went, though – to her parents' chagrin – she never left her 'lesbian phase.'" The two women shared a chuckle at that and went back to their meals. The silence that fell was again comfortable, with both of them feeling just that little bit more comfortable around each other. When they finished their dinner, a 'team' of waiters came by and removed their dishes, with the one who had been waiting at their table staying as the rest left. Though Kim felt full, when she heard Sheri mention the word 'dessert' her hunger returned a little bit. She ordered them a couple slices of dark chocolate mousse with raspberry syrup drizzled across the whipped chocolate topping, with chocolate fudge bits scattered throughout the mousse.

"Are you sure you've barely been here?" Kim asked as the waiter left to take their order to the kitchen.

"Absolutely," Sheri told her. "But I understand this kind of establishment – plus I 'set up an account' here, so to speak. I made sure they knew what I liked and what I preferred. I did _that_ after my second time here, since I _knew_ I would come back sooner or later."

When the dessert arrived, Sheri waited to eat hers until after Kim had taken her first bite. Judging by her girlfriend's expression, Kim must have died and gone to heaven. The green-tinted woman grinned at the redhead's expression and began eating her own dessert. After they'd finished, they left the restaurant to go to the club.

"Um, what about the bill?" Kim asked.

"Bill was already paid before we arrived, Princess."

"What? How?"

"Charge account. Anybody who goes there doesn't _have_ to pay _in_ the restaurant; it would be rude to bring a patron a 'check' or 'bill' at the prices they charge. So you set up an account with the owner that draws from your bank account. The prices of what you order are sent to that account, which then draws that amount from your regular account – or one of them – and transfers it to the restaurant account. When you leave, the amoun in that account is transferred from it to the restaurant's account and sent to their bank. So, basically, you just walk in, eat, drink, and leave. Payment is taken care of automatically. Supposed to be classy and all, make the rich people feel that they're too important to be worried about how much something costs."

"Sheri, _you're_ rich, remember?"

"Yeah, but I know the value of money. Learned it the hard way, in spite of who my parents were. Or perhaps because of it; I wasn't pampered growing up, and it didn't get better after the meteor. So for the most part my money just sits around and grows. I only take out what I need to pay the bills, get groceries, and to have a little 'miscellaneous' money. I usually used Drakken's money for that."

"So . . . now we go to the club?"

"Now we go to the club."

_The Night Light_

"The Night Light?" Kim asked when the pulled up in front of the club and a valet took Sheri's keys.

"Scratch it and you're toast," the green-tinted woman warned. The valet, familiar with her personality, smiled and nodded. As he drove her car to a parking space, she turned to her girlfriend and said, "Yeah, The Night Light. I know it seems an odd name considering how I've talked about this place, but it works. It lights up the night, and provides 'safety' for those of us who prefer to not be bothered. It's as high class as the restaurant we were just at. People come here for fun and dancing – and not the sexual fun, mind you. You want that, go to a different club. They don't mind the grinding, physical kind of dancing – the styles that look like vertical sex while being dressed – but don't go overboard."

"This place sounds like a contradiction," she replied. Her girlfriend chuckled.

"It is – that's what makes it work. Now come on. Let's go have some fun." She held out her arm for Kim, who took it with a smile, and they walked into the club.

The music was, understandably, loud with the bass thumping – but the bass wasn't obscenely heavy; just enough to where you could _feel_ it as well as hear it. Kim gaped as she looked around the club; after all, she'd never been in one before. It was just as Sheri had described. Most everyone wore loose and/or casual clothes; those people dressed sexily were dressed tastefully, not sluttily. Sheri noticed that was a little tense, and hugged her girlfriend closer. The electronic music had a moderately fast beat that was easy to move to, so she led her to the dance floor.

"Relax, Kimmie!" she shouted over the music. "Just _feel_ the music! Go with the flow!" Then she started swaying and shifting to the music, letting the music move her instead of moving to the music. Kim found herself entranced by her girlfriend's body, watching as she swayed and dipped to the music. The current 'tune' ended before Kim could begin, but the next one coming up brought a grin to her face. Sheri caught the look and recognized it – it was the same look she used to wear back when they fought. She grinned, too, for the beat and rhythm brought the same thought to her. She wasn't suprised when Kim threw a punch at her, but it wasn't like the full-strength punch back then. Sheri realized that Kim was wanting to turn their usual battle moves into a dance, and decided to go with it if it would help her ease up. As the two of them began their dance, everyone began moving back – at first because they thought a fight was breaking out, but shortly thereafter to give them room when they all realized that the two women were dancing. Kim and Sheri realized they had space to move and they took advantage of it. None of their moves were aggressive, full speed, or full strength, but they did display their agility, flexibility, and – unintentionally for Kim – sensuality. They flowed around and over each other, bodies touching lightly as when they 'hit,' only to move away at the touch. It was obvious to everyone watching that they were teasing each other, tentalizing the other with the faint touches. There were gasps and shouts when they flipped and spun through the air, leaping over and around each other – but always moving to the rhythm of the music. When the song ended, Kim and Sheri were pressed against each other. Kim had one arm around the back of her girlfriend's neck and the other holding onto her waist, with one leg up near her hip; Sheri had an arm around Kim's waist, the other free, and had one leg back to balance them both.

Everyone cheering and whooping in amazement and compliment at the display they'd just seen. Before Kim could become embarrassed about all of the attention, the DJ shifted to a similar tune and Sheri got Kim going again. This time, she didn't let them go all over the area but them kept them moving around in a small area, keeping them closer together. The redhead got the hint and did the same. There was no leaping or jumping, but their 'dancing' was still very impressive. And it was a lot closer to dancing than fighting. Sheri would whirl around and push her back against Kim's front, sensually move up and down against her, then spin away out of her reach. Kim, finally giving in and going with the flow, would sensually sashay up to Sheri and flow around her, throwing her arms over head and clasping her hands together as she moved her body like it was water flowing around a rock. Their dancing now was more sensual than outlandish, and the rest of the place fell away from their awareness, focusing only on the other. As they danced, ignoring everyone and everything but each other and the music, both thought how perfect everything seemed to be now.

_Possible residence, three hours later_

Kim was asleep in the passenger seat of Sheri's car, curled up on the seat and leaning against the door. Sheri glanced over at her, a smile on her face as she observed her girlfriend for a second. Kim had surprised her back at the club, showing a sensuous and exhibitionist side that she hadn't know the redhead had. Apparently, she just needed the right person to bring it out. They had danced for another hour and a half or so, taking breaks to rest and get something non-alcholic to drink. They had been the hit of The Night Light, something that had still ended up making Kim embarrassed. _You'd think as a cheerleader and a world-saving teen hero that she'd be used to attention_, Sheri thought. _Maybe it's because it's a different _kind_ of attention._ She was used to men and women staring at her like the clubbers had been, but Kim wasn't; she _had_, after all, admitted to having never been to a club before.

Red and blue lights flashing up ahead immediately yanked her atttention back out the windshield. She thought somebody's house had gotten broken into – until she realized _where_ the police cars and assorted emergency vehicles were at.

"Kim!" she shouted, snapping the young woman awake. Kim looked at Sheri first, then out the windshield when she saw that's where her girlfriend's attention was.

"Oh, no," she moaned, her expression becoming horrified. A cop stopped them from coming closer, until Kim stepped out of the car. Recognizing her, he called his lieutenant over.

"Kim Possible?" she asked.

"Yeah, and this is my girlfriend," the teen replied. "We were out on a date. What's the sitch, officer?"

"Somebody's broken into your home," the woman said. "I'm guessing that _is_ your home over there? The one missing the front door and most of the walls around it?" Before Kim could answer, she saw her dad. He saw her around the same time, and walked over.

The expression on his face as he drew closer told both women everything they needed to know.

**E/N:** And there you have it. A wonderful day and evening, followed by a horrific event. I love writing cliffhangers.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** I am sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. Trying to find the time to get on my computer wasn't easy. That said, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Sorry for the wait, Ki-Ki.

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 8 – Don't Make Kim Angry**

_Possible Residence_

Kim and Shego were sitting on the couch in exposed living room, both of them holding a cup of cocoa that Kim had made. James Possible was holding back the pack of reporters, and not one was snapping pictures or filming anything; of course, the fact that he had threatened to send the first one who did so on a one-way trip through a black hole may have had something to do with it. Global Justice was just arriving, and Betty was deploying her troops to form a perimeter around the Possible house. She wasn't doing it to provide protection. At least, not for the occupants of the house.

"Sheri, it's not your fault," Kim said, laying a hand on her girlfriend's forearm.

"If we hadn't gone out all day, this wouldn't have happened," the green-tinted woman said in a small voice.

"Don't go there, Sheri," the redhead warned. "The 'what ifs' and 'maybes' won't do either of us any good. Drakken's behind this, and it's _his_ fault."

"It's me he's after, though," she replied. "Because of me, Amethyst _and_ your mom are gone."

"Sheri," Kim said. When the other woman looked at her, she slapped her. It was hard to say who was more surprised by her action: Sheri, or her dad who had just walked into the living room. "Don't you fucking _dare_ blame yourself for this," she growled, tears of anger and pain gathering in her eyes. "None of this was your fault! Did _you_ kidnap your sister and my mom? Did _you_ destroy the front of my house to get to them?"

"No, but-"

"No 'buts,' damnit! You didn't do it, so you're not responsible for it! Drakken's been trying to get you ever since we started going together, which is pure coincidence! You walked out on him, quit working for him, because you decided that taking care of your sister was more important. He may be an adult by age and physiology, but his behavior now is that of a spoiled child!"

"She's right, Sheri," James Possible said, sitting on the edge of the still-intact coffee table in the living room. "Drew's actions aren't those of a responsible adult. He couldn't talk you into coming back to work for him, and trying to kidnap you didn't work, either. So now he's trying to draw you in."

"Your wife's been kidnapped, too, Mister Possible," the raven-haired woman pointed out. "But you don't sound too worried."

"I'm sure most husbands _would_ be extremely worried, or even frantic, about this sort of situation."

"But not you?"

"Not really."

"Well, why not?"

"Because of you and Kimmie. I'm not going to rely upon law enforcement agencies, those who specialize in this kind of situation, or even Global Justice." He looked towards the missing wall. "No offense, Betty."

"None taken, James," the one-eyed woman said as she stepped into the house. "To be perfectly honest, I was intending to ask Shego – sorry, I mean Sheri – and your daughter to handle this situation."

"Wouldn't this be a feather in your cap, One-Eye?" Sheri asked, with only a hint of sarcasm – which showed just how worried she was.

"I'm not interested in getting another commendation or medal or any of that shit," she replied, shaking her head. "I never am. Lives are at stake, not reputations. Global Justice may be trained for a variety of 'tactical law enforcement' situations, including situations such as this, but I'll tell all three of you right now: there is nothing and no one in Global Justice that is the equal of Kim and Sheri. _Especially_ if the two of you work together." She smiled at the ex-villain. "And I know about your little sister having powers, too. It wasn't until I fully examined the report of my agents watching your house, and hacked into the police mainframe in order to excise the confessions of Lipsky's goons that I learned of it."

"You've had people spying on me?"

"No. Just observing your house. No listening or monitoring devices were placed within your home, nor did I have your landlines and cell phone tapped. I also avoided putting such devices on your car."

"But why not?" Kim asked.

"Because she obviously was trying to live a quiet life. It wasn't until a few years ago that we even learned about Shego having another life. A _normal_ life. And when she quit working for Drakken, but didn't hire out to someone else or go independent, I decided she deserved a chance to really start over. It wasn't a popular decision with the Board, of course, but I never gave a flying fuck what they thought before, and I wasn't about to start."

"I know Kim's probably heard and said worse," James put in, "but could you refrain from cursing under my roof, Betty?"

"Of course, James. I'm sorry about that."

"Back to what I was saying before. GJ _does_ have Hostage Rescue Teams, but knowing what Drakken is liable to have waiting I'd be risking lives if I sent one in. He wants you, Sheri. He probably wants Kim, too. My guess as to why would be that he sees her as part of the reason you left."

"He's pissed me off before," Sheri growled, anger making her eyes flash brilliantly, "but this time he's crossed the line."

"Betty, do you mind if Drakken spends a month or two in critical care before he gets to move into a nice GJ prison cell?" Kim asked sweetly. Everyone looked at her, and even Sheri was stunned at the restrained violence she saw in those emerald green eyes.

"That's . . . not a very noble attitude to take, Miss Possible," Betty told her.

"It isn't? What a pity," the redhead replied, not sounding apologetic – or like she was going to change her mind. The leader of Global Justice sighed.

"Very well. You two get suited up. I'll have transport waiting for us at Middleton Airport."

"Actually, Betts," Sheri said, standing up, "I'm wanting a new look for this. My cat suit . . . well, it's associated with too many pain-in-the-ass memories. If you can lend me one of your GJ tactical suits, that'll be fine."

"That'll be no problem, Miss Goodman. In fact, we have one that's in two-tone green and black intended for operations in jungles, forests, and rain forests."

"That'll do just fine," the super-powered woman said approvingly.

"I'll take a tactical suit as well," Kim added. "If you have one like Sheri's in my size."

"You _did_ look good in my cat suit that one time," her girlfriend agreed. "Green and black look pretty damn good on you, Cupcake." She winced and looked at Kim's dad. "Sorry, Mister Possible."

"Don't worry about it, Sheri," he said. "Just don't do it again. Now, you two go and rescue Ann and Amethyst."

_Middleton Airport_

The Global Justice Special Weapons and Gear (GJ SWAG) van pulled up to the hanger the agency maintained at Middleton Airport. Kim and Sheri, dressed in their new 'mission gear,' stepped out of van, followed by Betty and Will Du – along with four other GJ agents.

"So what's in here?" Sheri asked as the group walked to the obviously nondescript hanger.

"Your ride," Betty replied.

"Have you found Drakken, then?" Kim inquired.

"That wasn't hard. I just called his mom and asked her where he was at."

Sheri snorted and shook her head. "He was always a big mama's boy," she said. "So, what kind of ride is it?"

"The latest in Global Justice tactical transport aircraft," Will answered. The hanger doors were opening as they got closer to the hanger. "It was intended for nearly this exact situation; the deployment of a small, well-trained, well-equipped tactical unit to extract hostages _during_ active situations."

"And you're letting me take it?" Sheri asked, surprised.

"I'd let you have it if weren't the only prototype we have," Betty replied. She put a hand to her earpiece. "Bring the plane out." She frowned, and pressed another button on the device. "What is it? Who's here? She's where? Fine, let her through."

"Something wrong, Director?" Kim asked.

"Not exactly," the one-eyed woman replied. "Just a visitor I'd rather not deal with right now."

"As I live and breathe!" someone shouted. _Sheri's_ eyes widened. "If it isn't Stringbean!"

"Oh. My. God," the green-tinted woman said softly, in shock.

"What is it, Sheri?" Kim asked.

"It's Elena Parks. _Aunt_ Elena Parks." She turned around, with a pained expression on her face, and said, "You know I don't like that name, Elena."

"You have an aunt?" the redhead asked, surprised.

"And who's _this_ hot little number?"

"I'm Kim Possible," she answered. "I'm Sheri's girlfriend."

"Don't sweat it, Slick," the dark-haired woman said. "Yer not my type anyway. Too young, for one."

"Elena, what are you doing here?" Betty asked. _That_ drew the attention of the two younger women.

"You know her?" they asked in unison.

"She sure as hell should," Elena replied. "My company's the one that supplies Global Justice with a good bit of their security equipment. Not so much nowadays, though."

"Well, _that_ explains why it was easier to circumvent your safeguards before I quit working for Drakken," Sheri said.

"And to answer your question, Betts, I have the hanger next to this one. It houses a pair of my long-range custom Ospreys. In fact, I just landed here about half an hour ago."

"Why are you in Middleton, though?" the one-eyed woman asked.

"Learned that Stringbean here was holed up in this town."

"Do you _have_ to keep calling me that?"

"Only because it pisses you off. Now, what's the prob?"

"My ex-boss kidnapped Amethyst."

"Who?"

"You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"Mom was having another kid. A girl. Amethyst was born the night Mom died, the night that meteor struck and gave me and the boys super powers."

"Well strip me naked and call me Cannibal Surprise," Elena said, stunned. "She'd be eight now, right?"

"Yeah, and she's developed telekinesis, too."

"Your little sister has telekinesis?" Betty asked.

"Back off, Director, or you'll find just how good Wade is at penetrating your security," Kim growled, surprising Shego and the head of GJ.

"I like this kid," Elena said approvingly. "Sheri, for the past ten years I've been establishing and running an 'independent security company.' Basically, I run an organization of mercenaries who hire out for security and bodyguard contracts. But _not_ for just anyone. Agencies like Global Justice as well as governments like the United States and United Kingdom governments are our top clients. We've also developed some custom security devices and programs on our own that governments and government-funded agencies can't due to budget restrictions and legal constraints."

"Illegal devices?" Kim asked.

"Not per se. Just things that budget crunchers and whiney liberals would balk at."

"Not that this isn't an interesting conversation," Sheri put in, "but we've got to go rescue Amethyst."

"I'll give you two ladies a lift," Elena offered.

"I've got it covered," Betty replied, a little stiffly.

"Whatever you say, Ginger."

"'Ginger?'" the redheaded teen wondered.

"You didn't think her hair was really that _auburn_ shade, did you?" Sheri's aunt replied, making the one-eyed woman blush.

"Oh-ho!" Sheri said with a smirk. "So ol' One-Eye swings on the _other_ side of the fence, eh?"

"I've got them covered, Betts. My custom Ospreys have better range and low-level characteristics than that brick you were planning on using." Sheri shrugged and turned to Kim.

"What do you say, Princess?" she asked. "Ride with my estranged aunt, or fly with GJ?"

"I'm not in the mood for placating Betty's ego," the teen replied. "If you're aunt can get us there faster, let's do it."

"I take that this is personal for you, too, Red," Elena noted as the three of them headed towards the large hanger nearby.

"Drakken took my mom as well as her younger sister," Kim told her. "My dad, then my mom, were watching Sheri's sister while she and I had an all-day date – at their suggestion."

"Your parents sound a lot nicer and more accepting than my late sister and her asshole of a husband."

"You know he killed himself, right?" Sheri said as they neared the hanger.

"Yeah, but they put into their will that I wasn't to be contacted about your care in the event they both died. I found _that_ out when I learned of your father's death and made inquiries into the will. I may be 'loose' with the law, but I do respect parts of it. I'm sorry you had to deal with all of that on your own."

"What can you do, right?"

"So what's your company, er, organization, called, Miss Parks?" Kim asked.

"Call me Elena, like Stringbean does. It's how I prefer to be addressed, anyway. And to answer your question, we call ourselves HazOp Security."

"Kinda strange."

"Well, we _do_ engage in operations that are hazardous to _our_ health, so it makes sense. But I agree that it is a little strange." Elena typed in a code on the hanger's keypad, waited a moment, then typed in a _second_ code. "Redundancy and security," she explained. "Two codes ensure that only HOS personnel enter."

"Smart," Sheri said, impressed. "Codes change daily?"

"Every four hours, actually." Elena smiled as she opened the personnel door, then reached in and flicked on the overhead lights. "These are the HOS Ospreys." Both Kim and Sheri stared in awe at the pair of planes before them. They looked almost like the regular MV-22 Ospreys used by the US military, but with obvious differences: instead of the nacelles with huge props, they had streamlined oversized engine pods with twin jet engines in them; instead of the straight wings, they had wings that angled backwards before angling forwards again, forming a V-shape; instead of the standard tailplane, they had tailplanes that angled down and ended with vertical stablizers that angled out in a checkmark (or 'v') shape; and they weren't smoothly designed, instead featuring the angles and planes common to stealth aircraft such as the F-117 and F-22.

"It took a lot of work to make these babies," Elena told them. "But it was worth every penny spent. Their stealth coating actually contains a reverse-refractive layer that allows them to display images taken by microcams on the other side of the aircraft. In effect, if you look at it from the bottom, you'll see the sky above it – as if it wasn't there."

"Hot damn," Sheri breathed. "It's not the cloaking technology Drakken has, but when combined with electronic camoflage methods would make it just as invisible – and much more effective."

"Right now they're unarmed, since they're registered as private aircraft and we're currently not under contract with the US government," the older woman said. "Now, let's get on board and rescue some distressed damsels."

"Actually, considering who he's kidnapped, I think Drakken'll be the one in distress," Kim replied dryly.

_Drakken's Lair, Southwest Pacific_

Drakken rushed out of the room and slammed the door shut. His hair was disheveled, his teal-colored suit was ripped in a few places, and he was breathing as though he'd run a marathon. His eyes were as wide as tea cup plates. He'd attempted to do his standard gloating over his prisoners, and unveil the genius of his master plan, when Kim Possible's mom had started talking down to _him_, then that little devil of a girl had raised her hand and tossed him into the air. He'd spent the last five minutes being thrown about the room by a little girl using _only_ her mind! While he knew such a skill would be a great asset to his plans down the line, he wasn't about to go back in there!

_Southwest Pacific, on approach_

The XV-22 Shadow Hawk – as Elena had said the HOS version of the Osprey was called – was flying five feet above the currently calm waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean. They were minutes away from making landfall on the island Drakken currently had his lair at. Elena herself had flown them, with an HazOp Security pilot in the co-pilot position and another standing by the ramp controls. Keying his headset, the man in the cargo bay said, "Alright, ladies, listen up. This how this is going to go down. The moment we go feet dry – cross over the line between land and sea – we'll pop up to just above treetop level and drop our speed. As we near the location of this Drakken's facility, we'll drop our speed to just above stall speed – we won't be switching to VTOL mode. As soon as our speed drops, that red light above the door will turn green, the ramp'll drop open, and you two will drop out. After that is up to you. You have the radio frequency for this plane; use it to call for an extraction. We'll land on the water nearby to await your signal."

"Sounds simple enough," Sheri said.

"Please," Kim said dismissively. "I could do this in my sleep."

"Kinda cocky there, aren't you, kid?"

"I'm Kim Possible," she replied, shrugging. "I can do anything."

"I've heard of you; I just didn't think you were as . . . young as you are, considering your reputation."

"Believe it, bub," Sheri said, tightening the straps on her jetpack. She wasn't sure about using the thing, even though Kim insisted it was perfectly safe; she was using the same model, after all. She didn't have a chance to consider it further, though, for just then the light went from red to green and the ramp dropped open. Kim rushed out, with Sheri a split-second behind, and the two women fell in free-fall. It wasn't much more than a few seconds before they ignited the jetpacks and flew down towards the extinct volcano that Drakken had hidden this lair in. Overhead, the stealthed Shadow Hawk vanished from their senses as it flew away. When they landed, they shrugged out of the jetpacks and began trecking through the bit of jungle in front of the volcano.

"Why does Drakken always pick cave lairs of one sort or another?" Kim asked.

"I don't really know, to be honest," Sheri replied with a shrug. "I think he finds them 'appropriate' for being a villain."

"It's so predictable, though."

"He's a scientific 'genius,' but lacks common sense. Maybe not completely, since he _does_ try to hide his lairs."

They reached the main entrance of the lair, disguised rather cleverly as a wall hidden within a 'tunnel' that only went into the volcano a dozen feet.

"I'm surprised we found it this easily," Sheri admitted.

"That's the power of Wade," Kim told her, winking. "He found it faster than Betty did, simply by backtracking 'unusual' movement of construction materials. Plus, he used some of the CIA's ground-penetrating satellites."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"So is globetrotting without a passport."

"Well, well. Princess _is_ a bad girl, after all."

"Hey, I'm just your basic average girl, here to save the world," the redhead replied with an innocent smile.

"Cupcake, you're anything _but_ basic and average."

"So how do we get in?"

"Well, we're not sneaking in, are we?"

"Kind of pointless, considering he knows we're coming for my mom and your sister."

"Then we go in the old-fashioned way," Sheri told her, lighting up. "I'm not in the mood for subtlety."

"Good, because neither am I." Sheri increased the intensity of her plasma, then unleashed it against the door.

_Meanwhile_

"What the hell was that?" Drakken demanded, looking up at the sound of the distant _boom_.

"According to this here display, man, somebody just blew your front door off," Motor Ed replied, pointing. "Like, seriously."

"The _front_ door?" he replied incredulously. "Who sneaks into an evil genius's hidden lair through the _front_? They're supposed to use the _vents_ or find the _secret_ escape chamber or something like that!"

The blond mulleted man tossed his hair back and looked at his cousin. "It's probably someone who doesn't care if you know they're coming, dude," he said. "Probably that firey green babe and Red, since we _did_ take that girl and Red's equally red mother. Like, seriously."

"She wasn't supposed to _attack!_" the blue man screamed, starting to panic. "She was supposed to come and _surrender_ to me! Then I'd tell her that if she came back to me, I'd let that little girl – _whoever_ she is – go free."

"Listen, blue bro, I think you forgot one thing in that master plan of yours."

"And what's that?"

"You forgot to take Green and Red into account when you made your plan." Ed shook his head. "Like, seriously."

Kim and Sheri sprinted through the lair's tunnels and access ways. Because of Drakken's 'unimaginative' approach to secret lair building, all of his lairs followed pretty much the same template. Which meant both of the women knew their way to his 'command center.' And when they got there, they found a whole mass of henchmen and syntho-ninjas waiting for them.

"You take the ones on the left and I take the ones on the right?" Sheri asked.

"I'm not in the mood to divvy them up," Kim growled, leaping forward. She snapped a mid-air kick at a henchman, slamming him up and back into another one as Sheri ignited her hands and began firing plasma blasts everywhere as she followed her girlfriend into the fray. They didn't work just back to back; they worked in every conceivable direction. Kim would leap into a flying kick as Sheri spun under her to deliver a roundhouse to someone's mid-section. Then the green-tinted woman would backflip into a kick that slammed into a henchman's chin as the redhead twirled below her to rise into a momentum-driven uppercut.

The room may have been packed with henchmen and syntho-ninjas, but they weren't a challenge to the two driven, focused martial artists.

After working their way through the last ones, they came to a stop when they heard the sound of clapping. Looking over, they saw Drakken standing there in a blue shirt and black pants.

"Well done, Shego, well done indeed," he said with a self-satisfied smirk. "And I see you brought Kim Possible with you. But where is your sidekick, the buffoon?"

"I didn't want to bother Ron to deal with just you," she told him. "After all, he's on vacation and it _is_ just you."

"Your arrogance will cost you, Kim Possible."

"Give it up, Drakken," Sheri growled, her hands glowing even brighter, "and give me back my sister."

"If you want her so bad, then you'll need to get past me."

With a yell, Sheri charged at Drakken, firing off a burst of plasma. Drakken's attitude was completely counter to all of their previous encounters, Kim realized. She tried to shout a warning, but she was too late; the plasma burst slammed, not into the blue scientist, but into an invisible barrier just ahead of him. It didn't stop there, however, but rebounded off and back into a very surprised Sheri. The full-power ball of plasma hit with its speed and power undiminished. The explosion sent her flying back past the redhead and into a wall. She was unconscious by that point, but the sickening crunch produced by her arm slamming into the wall snapped her back to consciousness with a scream. Kim watched in shock and not a little horror as her girlfriend hit the floor with a whimper and cradled her broken arm. As 'the girl who can do anything' stared at the woman she was coming to care a great deal about, she felt her shock and horror give way to a seething, supernova-like anger. _First he tries to attack Sheri _in her own home_,_ she thought, fueling her anger, _then he tries to attack her when she's out relaxing, and finally he has the _gall _to go to _my _house and take not only her eight-year-old sister, but my mom, too!_

"That's the price of betrayal, Shego," Drakken chortled. "When you come back, I'll give you the same contract you had when you left-"

"Fuck you, Drakken," Kim said, drawing a pain-filled but stunned look from Sheri. The readhead turned around, her eyes smoldering with restrained anger. "I'll send you to the critical care unit – or the morgue – before I'll allow you to get your claws into Sheri again!"

"Princess . . ." Sheri said, moved by the other woman's protectiveness (even as she resented it), as well as the dark nature of her words.

"You're all talk now, Kim Possible," the blue man shot back. "You see, I anticipated _both_ of you. And not just Shego's plasma powers, either. I invented a device I call the SkillMastertron. It allows me to download any skill set I want into not just my brain, but the muscle memory of my body as well. I tested it out on my syntho-drones, creating the syntho-ninjas. Consider them a beta test."

"Flash-learning may give you the knowledge and moves, Drakken," Kim replied in a voice colder than liquid nitrogen, "but it doesn't give the skills and instincts actually _training_ does."

"Why don't we find out, then?"

"With _pleasure_," she responded, the tone of her voice making the word into something darker. She ran at Drakken, the leaped into the air to deliver a spin-kick to his head. To her surprise, he ducked under it, grabbed her trailing leg and spun her around. Releasing his grip, he let her fly back the way she'd come. Anticipating the impact with the wall, she spun herself around so her feet slammed into it, bending her knees and hips to absorb the impact. Then she launched herself back at Drakken, arching towards the floor where she went into a roll and sprang up into a vicious knee strike that would have hit the man's chin – had he been there. He'd flipped backwards at the last second, opening up some distance between him and the teen hero, then snap-fired a kick of his own. Kim twirled around it, using the momentum of her spin to execute a hooking kick at the blue man's head. Again, Drakken ducked under the kick and grabbed at Kim's leg. But the redhead had anticipated just such an action; when she felt him grab her leg and get a secure grip on it, she collapsed her other leg and fell backwards. Swinging around at her captured leg's knee, she reached down and grabbed Drakken's ankle. Before he could react, she yanked her foot and hands back towards her while bending herself in two at the waist. Her leg pulled free, and her hands yanked Drakken off his feet.

They both hit the floor and rolled away from each other, jumping back to their feet. This time, Drakken launched the offensive, coming at Kim with a rapid series of alternating punches and kicks. He was fast, and he _was_ good, Kim conceded, but he wasn't good enough. She dropped her guard deliberately, letting a punch through that hit her ribs good. Ignoring the pain, she stopped Drakken's triumphant cry when she captured his arm and twisted. Refusing to release it, she slammed her knee into Drakken's crotch, then brought it up into his face when he bent at the waist. When he straightened up again, she launched a series of rabbit punches into his gut; individually, they packed little power but because they were delievered with speed to a vunlerable area they delivered more collective damage than a few powerful punches. With Drakken currently at her mercy, the redhead gave vent to the powerful rage inside her. She slammed a fist into his eye with enough force to blacken it instantly. A snap-kick into his exposed side created a _crack! _sound that indicated a broken rib. Another kick delivered to the same area broke another rib. She finally released Drakken and, as he stumbled back in nearly overwhelming pain, she sprang straight up into the air. A frontal kick delivered to his jaw broke it, then as that leg fell she brought her other leg over to delivering a stunning kick to his head. The blue man flew a short distance and hit the floor, unconcious, at the same time Kim landed. Breathing hard, she turned around and walked over to the stunned Sheri.

"You okay?" she asked, crouching down next to the older woman.

"Just a broken arm and maybe a fractured rib or two," she replied, wincing. "I'll be fine in a bit." She looked up at her girlfriend and shook her head.

"What?" the redhead asked.

"Remind me never to make you angry," the green-tinted woman replied.

_Middleton Airport_

After that, the rescue was rather anti-climactic. Kim left Sheri there to keep an eye on Drakken, and went searching for her mom and Amethyst. She ran across a henchman and convinced him, quite painfully, to tell her where they were being kept. The moment she opened the 'cell' door, she was knocked to the floor by Amethyst, who wrapped her arms around the teen in a death grip. Ann hugged her daughter and tried to apologize for what had happened, but Kim wouldn't have it; she didn't blame her mom, and neither did Sheri. The three of them made their way back to the 'command' room where Ann was shocked to see the state Drakken and Sheri were in. She said nothing, though, just went over to the injured woman and began examining her. Kim called in Elena for an extraction, and the crew (minus the pilot) came in to secure Drakken. Elena helped Ann get Sheri to the Shadow Hawk, while Kim brought Amethyst and the co-pilot and loadmaster brought the unconscious Drakken. Elena sent a coded message to Betty, so Global Justice could clean up the henchmen and lair.

The flight back to Middleton went by quicker. Amethyst wanted her big sister, but refused to let go of Kim, so the redhead sat next to her girlfriend. Ann smiled as she saw the three of them sitting together, thinking about what a nice little family they made. A glance at Sheri's aunt showed she was thinking the same thing.

When they arrived at Middleton Airport, they found Betty, Will, and a handful of GJ security agents waiting for them – along with an ambulance. They took custody of Drakken, intending to treat his injuries before incarcerating him. As Will Du took charge of the 'prisoner' and they drove off to Middleton's hospital, Betty offered the five women a ride. Elena declined, saying that she had to get back to work. She did promise her niece, though, that she would stop by and visit one day soon. When they arrived at Sheri's home, Amethyst had fallen asleep in Kim's arms. She started to pass the little girl over to Sheri, but was stopped by her mom.

"Why don't you go ahead and stay the night here?" the older Possible woman suggested. "Even though she's recovering fast, I'm sure Sheri will need a little help."

"Yeah, I might," she agreed.

"Plus, I think it'll be good for Amethyst right now if you were there when she woke up."

"Well, alright, Mom," Kim said with no reluctance. Betty waited until the three of them had gone inside before she pulled away from the curb.

"You're family is staying at a nearby Global Justice safehouse," the one-eyed woman told her. "We're providing it free of charge, of course."

"I really appreciate that, Betty," Ann said.

"We're also paying for the rebuilding of your house, as a favor to your daughter. After all, she's done more to bring down global crime on her own, with minimal support, than all of Global Justice."

"That's my Kimmie," the redheaded woman said proudly. "She can do anything she sets her mind to."

**End Note:** Again, I'm really sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. Had a lot of things going on, one of them me being sick. That zapped my creativity a good bit. Also, I'm in the process of moving so it's not easy finding time to write. On that note, my updating will become rather sporadic since I won't have internet at my new house for a while, and will have to depend upon trips to town (to a library or Wi-Fi hub) for internet. But I will keep writing so each update period will probably be a packet upload of chapters.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR

**A/N:** I do apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. Since I don't have 'net at my house right now, I have to wait until I can go to town to update. The plus side of that is y'all will get a buttload of updates.

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 9 – Ice Cream Party**

_Goodman Residence_

When Kim and Sheri woke up the next morning, not only were they both in the older woman's bed but they were also in each other's arms. Blinking, they stared at each other for a long moment before awareness came to them and they scrambled apart, their faces burning with embarrassment. Sitting up, each holding the sheet to cover themselves (even though neither of them was naked), they just couldn't meet the other's eyes.

"So, um, g-good morning," Sheri said after an embarrassed cough.

"Y-yeah," Kim agreed with a stammer. "G-good morning." They both tried to sneak a look at each other out of the corner of their eyes. When their gazes met, they quickly looked away from each other. Neither one was shy in any sense of the word, and neither could deny their growing attraction to one another – though it had only been a week, give or take, since they'd started being around each other socially (plus, it had only been a couple of days since they'd become a couple). Yet they couldn't explain to themselves their current embarrassment at waking up in each other's arms in the same bed.

"Does this feel awkward to you?" Sheri asked.

"Kinda, yeah," the redhead agreed. "At least we're still dressed."

"Doesn't really mean much, Princess."

"Well, do you feel like you've had sex?"

"Well, um, no. And I _do_ know what the aftermath of _that_ feels like."

"That makes one of us," she muttered.

"What'd you say, Princess?"

"Oh, um, nothing." Sheri looked over at her girlfriend, one eyebrow raised. "Okay, fine. I've never had sex before. Happy?"

"Hell no. Sex is fun."

"I'm only a teenager, Sheri."

"So?"

"I . . . I just wanted to wait until I was married."

"'Wanted to?'" the green-tinted woman echoed. "You've changed your mind, then?"

"Not exactly. See, I promised myself I would wait until I was married . . . or until I found the one person who made me feel complete."

"And . . . and have you found that person?" Sheri wasn't sure if she really wanted to know the answer, yet at the same time she desperately wanted to know.

"I'm not sure, really," the redhead replied. "But . . . I'm really wanting to find out." That brought a smile to the older woman's face.

"We won't find that out laying here in my bed," was the reply.

After taking the time to change, while trying (and failing) to not sneak a peek at each other, the two women came out of Sheri's bedroom and found Amethyst in the living room watching cartoons.

"I have to say I'm surprised," Kim said as the two walked into the kitchen.

"How's that?" Sheri asked.

"Well, I don't know of many kids her age who would go watch cartoons right after waking up. Most would go bother their parents or siblings – or both." She smiled at the older woman. "So I'd say you've done a good job raising her."

Blushing at the compliment, Sheri replied, "I just tried to raise her as my mom had raised my brothers and I."

"Your brothers didn't turn out too well, according to you."

"Not my mom's fault; my dad insisted on raising his sons to be 'proper men.'" The two of the snorted at that.

"So, Princess, what do you want for breakfast?"

"You don't want me to cook?"

"I'd like to avoid any trips to the hospital today, thank you."

"I'm not _that_ bad."

"I heard you blew up a toaster."

"The socket needed to be replaced!"

"The toast from it was banned by the Geneva Conventions."

"It was not!"

"I also heard that a few countries wanted to get it to use in their highly illegal bio-weapons research."

"Sheri! Now you're just being mean!"

"You're so easy to tease," Sheri said, laughing.

After a delicious breakfast of cinnamon French toast maple-butter syrup with a side of scrambled eggs and raspberry-cocoa coffee with caramel creamer, the two of them sat down with Amethyst. Actually, Kim and Sheri sat on the couch while Amethyst laid out on the floor, idly kicking her legs.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your parents' house," Sheri said into the comfortable silence.

"It wasn't your fault, so stop apologizing for it," Kim replied, sunggling up against her girlfriend. "Besides, isn't apologizing a little out of character for you?"

"It is," she admitted, "but so is falling in love with you. And isn't falling in love with a villain – even an ex-villain – against the 'hero code' or whatever?"

"I'm Kim Possible," was the smug reply. "I'm the girl who can do anything."

Kim's family stopped by later that day. Kim's mom had a break at the hospital, and her dad had called in to the space center so he could watch over her brothers. Normally, the twins would've tried to see just how far they could push things, but one look at Sheri made them change their minds.

"Rather nice place you got here, Sheri," James Possible said, looking around and nodding

"Thanks," she replied, feeling a little self-conscious now. "I used most of my inheritance to get this place, and put the rest – along with everything Drakken paid me – into buying stock in various companies, both domestic and international, so I'm actually pretty rich."

"Just how much money _do_ you have?" Ann asked.

"Well, um, I haven't checked in the past week, but there's enough for me to buy a small country and have more than enough left over to buy a fully-equipped military to protect it – along with paying for everything I need to populate and take care of said country." At that, everyone stared at her. "Hey," she added, "just because I'm loaded to the limit and beyond doesn't mean I have to live like it."

"Money doesn't matter anyway," Kim said, putting her arm around the older woman's waist.

"How's Amethyst doing?" her mom wondered. The other two women looked over into the living room, where Sheri's little sister was demonstrating her telekinetic skills for Jim and Tim.

"She doesn't seem to be having any problems," the green-tinted woman answered. "She didn't have any nightmares last night, and she isn't as clingy as she was. But at that age kids are pretty resilient. But I plan on keeping an eye on her for another day or two, just to make sure."

"I'll help whenever I'm here," Kim added.

"Well, Kimmie-cub," her dad said, "since we don't know how long it'll take Global Justice to rebuild our house, you'll be staying here until that gets done. As long as you don't mind," he finished, looking at Sheri.

"She's welcome here anytime," she agreed. "In fact, all of you are welcome here. I've got enough room."

"We wouldn't want to burden you," Ann replied.

"It wouldn't be much of a burden, Mrs Possible," Sheri told her. "I do feel somewhat responsible for what happened, since it was because of me that Drakken ruined your house."

"That was no fault of yours, dear," the elder Possible woman said. "You don't need to feel even a little bit responsible. Besides, it was only the front part of the house that was ruined. I'm sure that won't take more than a day or two to fix."

"Well, you guys are all welcome here anyway."

_Dementor's Lair_

"So, zhe mighty Shego no longer verks for zhat fool Drakken," Professor Dementor mused, sitting in the appropriately comfortable chair in his lair's master control room. He was alone, as he preferred to be when he was contemplating how to out-do that lucky half-wit Drakken. His spys had reported that after a battle with Kim Possible, where the teen hero had foiled yet another of his inferior rival's schemes, Shego had quit working for the blue-skinned scientist. And shortly thereafter had begun associating _with_ the young woman. He didn't have any information on that relationship, but dismissed it as irrevelant; chances were that the super-powered villain was working out a deal with Global Justice via Kim Possible in order to avoid jail time.

Then he'd learned that Motor Ed had broken Drakken out of prison. He wasn't really surprised, since he knew the two were cousins. What _did_ surprise him was Drakken's attempts to get Shego back. Even more surprising were the reports from his spies about Shego, Kim Possible, and a young girl having a picnic in a park before the two women fought together to take some of Drakken's syntho-drones. He had stepped up surveillence after that, and had subsequently learned of Drakken's kidnapping of the girl _and_ Kim Possible's mother. He wasn't too surprised when he learned that Kim and Shego had successfully rescued them. Obviously, the little girl was of some importance to the green-tinted woman.

"Perhaps Shego iz of some importance to zhat infernal Kim Possible, as vell," he went on, thinking out loud. Punching some commands into his computer, he pulled up two photos: one of Shego, and one of the little girl. Comparing the two, he noted a more than passing resemblance between the two. A sinister and sly smile spread across his face.

"So, _frauline_, you have a little sister," he said softly. He chuckled rather darkly. He did have to give Drakken some credit; Shego's little sister _was_ the key to Shego herself. But the imbecillic man had only thought as far as getting his former sidekick back. He would not make that mistake. After all, Shego had never worked for him in the first place. Shego wasn't the sole prize to be obtained in this forthcoming venture; there was also Kim Possible, as well.

"But vhat is zhis?" he asked, scrolling down through the reports until he found the one from his agent inside the prison Drakken had been sent to. "Zhat blue buffoon claims zhat Shego's sister can move objects vith her mind? Vell, vell. Zhat changes some zhings. Perhaps I vill get her to vork for me, too. She might be easier to handle, being so young." Then he frowned. "But such un assumption is vhat doomed Drakken. Und I von't be underestimating Kim Possible und Shego. Not again. I shall need a vay to control zhem, as vell."

_Goodman Residence_

"I have to say I'm surprised," Sheri confessed as she sat talking with Kim's parents. The redhead herself was busy keeping an eye on her brothers while they played with Amethyst.

"Why's that, Sheri?" James asked as he and his wife looked at the younger woman.

"Well, from what you've told me, you guys are going to have to wait until tomorrow to be able to go back to your house," she replied. "Which means you'll be staying in that safe house another night."

"But what surprises you?" Ann inquired.

"The fact that you're still willing to let Kim stay here with me, knowing how we feel about each other."

"It shouldn't be surprising at all," James told her. "After all, we all know you'll be a responsible adult." The implications in that statement made her blush.

"It sounds like I'd better," she agreed, chuckling with the Doctors Possible. She nodded at them. "To be honest, I think that there's something . . . deep and . . . true between Kim and I. I'm not referring to the connection we have with our fighting skills, or the fact that we've clashed quite often over the past few years. That had a big hand in it, I'm sure. But the more time I spent – and spend – with her, the more I've come to realize that something was missing." She smiled at Kim's parents. "Kim's the only one in my league. After my parents died and Henry put himself in charge, I was on my own in caring for Amethyst. I spent my spare time – what little I could find – training myself in martial arts. When I quit Team Go, I furthered my skills and also trained myself to become a thief. When I encountered Kim, I actually managed to find someone who could force me to actually put forth my utmost effort."

"And all I had going for me at first was my gymnastic skills and natural athleticism," Kim said, walking up to the small table in Sheri's backyard where the three adults were sitting. Her parents noticed how her green-tinted ex-rival brightened up at the redhead's approach. Their daughter's feelings about the older woman were just as obvious to them.

"She may not have my meteor-given rapid healing," Sheri added, "but she can certainly take it and dish it out as well as I can. To be honest, between having to deal with my brothers, taking care of my little sister and working for Drakken, I'd given up on being able to have a personal life. I know I've been a bi-g pain to all of you for a while, so it's a little overwhelming that you're giving me this chance."

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Ann told her. "And you have a really good reason for trying to start over."

"I did what I could to raise my little sister as best as possible," she replied, "but a lot of the time – thanks to Henry and Drakken – I had to rely on babysitters and daycares."

"We all do what we can," James reassured her. "And from what we've seen, you've done a marvelous job."

"Besides," Kim put in, "it's not like you need to work for Drakken or anyone else anymore."

"That is true," she agreed. "I don't _need_ to work. But . . . I do think I _should_ work. If only to be productive and stay occupied."

"You're in a rare position, Sheridan," Kim's father told her.

"How's that?"

"You have the money to not have to work, but a desire _to_ work. So you can actually choose a job you'd _like_ to do, instead of settling for whatever you can get."

"I'd never thought of it like that, but you do have a point, Mister Doctor Possible."

"You _can_ call me 'James,' you know," he said with a wink.

"Tell you all what," Sheri said. "Later on, I'll sit down with Kim and let her help me figure out what it is I'd like to do. That's legal, that is. Before that, though, how about I treat everyone to an ice cream party?"

"Hicka-bicka-boo?" Jim asked, looking at his brother.

"Hoo-sha," Tim agreed, and they exchanged high fives.

_Dementor's Lair_

"Vell, zhen, follow zhem!" Dementor yelled into the comm device. One of his henchmen had reported that Shego, her little sister, and all of the Possibles had left the house where Drakken's ex-sidekick had been living and were headed into town. Snapping off the small device, he smacked it down on the table, muttering, "Zhose incompetent fools." He turned his chair around to face his 'visitor.' "I fail to zee vhy you vould vant Shego," he said. "Her skills may be unique, but zhey are not vhat you usually vant."

"My dear Professor Dementor," Gemini said, clasping his hands behind his back and smirking slightly at the German villain. "When I was first seeking Shego's services, I was merely looking for another soldier. Since that time, I have observed her 'in action,' as it were. I have come to realize that, as you have so eloquently stated, she is unique. I now wish to obtain her services, and have her become . . . a sidekick, perhaps."

"Zhat is a major change for you," Dementor replied.

"Indeed," the one-eyed villain agreed. "Which is why I came to you suggesting an alliance. I have examined my efforts against Doctor Director and Global Justice, have determined that the reason for my failures against them is not because the GJ agents are superior to my forces – for how could they be – but because Global Justice has something I do not."

"Kim Possible."

"She is a large part of it, yes. But there is still the Ron Factor to consider."

"Stoppable is a buffoon. He only succeeds through dumb luck."

"Do not underestimate the Ron Factor, you egotistical fool!" Gemini roared. His dog, Pepe, began barking, thought not as frantically as it had when the red-garbed villain had mentioned Global Justice. He breathed deep and let it out, reigning in his anger. "Being that we're of two different opinions on that matter, we'll move on. Because of the interference of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, I've been unable to crush Global Justice. Therefore, I want to acquire Shego and use her to cancel out the advantage presented by Team Possible."

"Normally, ve vould have a problem here," Dementor replied, "as I, too, vish to obtain zhe services of Shego. However, I have learned zhat she has a little sister who is also, shall we say, 'gifted.' I believe zhat, because of her young age, she vould be easy to mold and train. So, I vill agree to zhis alliance. Ve vill vork togezher to get Shego and her little sister, vith each of us taking one of zhem."

"Agreed. You will get the child, and I shall get Shego."

"Zhere might be difficulties in zhis endeavor, zhough."

"Difficulties? Are you witholding information from me?"

"Not at all, _mein freund_. From vhat my spies have seen, Shego and Kim Possible have become very close. So you might have trouble using Shego to defeat zhe advantage Possible gives your enemies."

"Then we'll remove Kim Possible from the equation."

_Frozen Delights Ice Cream Restuarant_

Sheri had no idea what had possessed her to take everyone to the Frozen Delights Ice Cream Restuarant, but she was glad she did. Watching Amethyst having fun with kids close to her own age was as much as a delight as the ice cream Sheri was eating (which was mint chocolate chip with fudge whipped through it). Frozen Delights served regular food in addition to the desserts it was famous for, and this particular franchise had expanded so it could add an indoor play and game area for kids. The Possibles, Sheri, and Amethyst weren't the only ones there, of course, but Sheri wasn't worried. Watching her little sister enjoying herself like that was a reward in and of itself.

"I'm surprised you chose this place, Sheri," Kim said, sipping her chocolate caramel milk shake. Kim's parents had let the two young women sit a table alone so they could have some privacy and intimacy (though it was merely the safe, public kind).

"Why does it surprise you?" the other woman asked, just a little defensive.

"It doesn't seem like 'Shego,'" the redhead replied, giggling at her girlfriend's indignant expression. "It's soft and sweet, instead of what one would normally expect from you. Just proves what I already know."

"And what's that?"

"That you are more than you seem."

"Well, you know, that goes for you, too, Princess."

"H-how do you mean?"

"Look at you right now. You're sitting in an ice cream-themed restuarant and having ice cream with someone who used to be your main rival. I seem to remember you kicking me into an electrical tower that would have killed me if it weren't for my altered metabolism."

"There were extenuating circumstances," the teen protested.

"I agree. I didn't exactly help things, either," she agreed. "But my point is, Kim, that even if I've 'renounced my villainous ways,' no one would expect you to associate with me on a social basis. Being my 'parole officer,' maybe. But my girlfriend? Not what one anyone would expect of Kim Possible."

"Okay, yeah. You've got a point."

"You remember how we first got into this situation? You were going somewhere, and passed by my house as I walked by a window. You recognized me, of course, but you didn't turn me in. You came and talked to me."

"You'd quit working for Drakken, though. I wanted to know why."

"Be that as it may. You _talked_ to me. Usually, the only 'talking' we did was the not-so-friendly banter we had while fighting."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Neither of us are what we first seemed."

It wasn't too much later that they all decided to leave. Ann had to head back to the hospital for her shift, but James wasn't needed at the science center at the moment, so she dropped him and the twins off at the GJ safe house they were currently staying at, then went to the hospital. Kim and Sheri decided to head home as well, but it took them longer to get Amethyst to agree to leave. Kim's babysitter logic carried through, and they left the restuarant without a fuss.

The first thing Kim became aware of was an unusual grogginess and lethargy that seemed to permeate every inch of her. She tried to move, but her arms and legs felt like they were lead rods encased in concrete. As consciousness slowly returned to her, she felt a tightness about her torso that was somewhat familiar but her fog-shrouded mind couldn't place it. She tried to call out for Sheri, but all that came out was a low groan.

"James, she's awake!" she faintly heard someone say. It took a few seconds for her to recognize her mom's voice. That in itself worried her; it meant something was seriously wrong with her. It took a whole lot more energy than she would have thought just to open her eyes. All she could see, though, were colored blobs and blurs. Her eyes snapped shut almost immediately, though, as the light sent jolts of pain through her brain.

"Don't open your eyes right now, Kimmie-cub," she heard her father say. "The doctor said that they medications they gave you would make it hard for you to see, and would also make your eyes very sensitive to light." Kim tried to reply, but all she could do was moan.

"You're in the hospital," her mom said, guessing that her daughter was trying to figure out what was going on. "Don't try to speak right now; you're still very weak. I'll . . . I'll try and tell you what happened – or at least what I know." Kim managed a single slow, laborious nod, and her mom went on. "From what the police – and Global Justice – have been able to tell, the three of you were on your way back to Sheri's house when you . . . had an accident. A large truck – Betty Director suspects it was a reinforced van of some kind – slammed into your side of Sheri's car. You were . . . you were badly hurt." Looking into at her daughter, Ann saw her open her eyes – and the question in them that she had dreaded. "Sheri and Amethyst . . . weren't in the car when the ambulances arrived. And there was no sign of whoever had hit you."

Kim closed her eyes, trying and failing to keep the tears from falling out. She kept her eyes closed long enough for her mom to assume that she'd fallen asleep. When she heard her parents leave the room, she carefully opened her eyes. Things were still pretty blurry, but it was clearing up. The fact that her mom had turned the lights off when she left helped. She could barely move, right now, but she could still think. If her parents had still been in the room, and had seen the look that came into her eyes, they wouldn't have recognized their own daughter.

_Worldwide Evil Empire Headquarters (W.E.E. HQ)_

It had been three days since she'd woken up in Gemini's clutches, and Sheri was incredibly pissed. Which was actually understating the situation. If her hands hadn't been bound behind her back with special manacles that actually suppressed her powers, she'd have already torn down W.E.E.'s headquarters. As it was, she'd ended up stunning herself into a stupor trying to get out of the restraints. Screaming her rage hadn't accomplished anything, either. She had no idea where Amethyst was, and didn't know if Kim was still alive or not. Her girlfriend had looked extremely bad when W.E.E. Agents had pulled her, semi-conscious, out of the wreckage that was her car. She couldn't remember if Amethyst had been taken from the car, but had a feeling that they did take her out. The door to her cell slide up into the ceiling, and Gemini himself walked in.

"I trust your accomadations are to your liking?" he said, holding his dog in one arm.

"Oh, quite," Sheri replied with absolutely false sincerity. "It's not quite up to Global Justice standards, but it's better than the prisons I'm tossed into whenever local police took custody of me and Drakken."

"Speaking of your boss, my dear Shego," Gemini began.

"Former boss, you one-eyed windbag," she interrupted. "I stopped working for him a week ago."

"My dear Shego, no one ever really 'quits' being a villain," he replied, his voice full of scorn. "After living the life you have by being a villain, it is not something you can just give up."

"There are more important things in life than being a villain, and if I'd stayed a villain I risked losing them."

"Nothing is more important than power and revenge."

"Tell me this, Gemini. What would you do if you actually conquered the world? Hm? Have you planned for _after_ you've won? Or are you just like every other idiot out there with delusions of grandeur?"

"You seem to think that you are in a position of power, Shego," Gemini replied, barely managing to hold onto his anger. "Let me inform you that are not. _I_ hold the power here. _You_ are nothing unless _I_ say you aren't! And then there's your sister to consider."

"What have you done with her?!" Sheri snarled, lurching to her feet.

"I haven't done anything to her," the archenemy of Global Justice said smugly. "Professor Dementor, on the other hand . . ."

"You bastard," she growled. "If anything happens to her . . ."

"You aren't in any position to make threats, _Shego_," he told her with a sneer. "However, if you agree to work for me, I will talk to the good professor and make sure he only brainwashes her. You see," he added with a sinister smile, "Dementor wants someone like you, someone to work with him in the same way you worked with Drakken. However, dealing with you would have been far too much effort for him, since he was correct in assuming that you would be hostile to the notion. So he settled for your little sister. Rather fortunate for him that you had her."

"When I get out of here, I will rip you apart one piece at a time," she growled, struggling to keep her anger under control so she wouldn't injure herself with the manacles.

"I find that rather hard to believe," he said loftily. "But no matter. There really is no choice for you. If you value your sister, you _will_ accept my offer."

"You're forgetting one thing."

"And what is that?"

"My girlfriend is Kim Possible."

"My dear Shego," he replied, chuckling as though she'd said something funny, "I'm afraid that the 'mighty' Kim Possible won't be coming to the rescue this time. You see, I made sure my people were to hit your car on the passenger side square on. Specifically, right at where Kim Possible was sitting. And if, by some chance, she survived the accident, lived long enough to get to a hospital, _and_ managed to hang on long enough for her injuries to be treated, I doubt that she will be in any shape to rescue anyone. And don't count on Global Justice, either." Upon hearing that name, Pepe went into a frenzy of barking that Gemini spent a minute or so calming. Looking back at Shego, he added, "Without Kim Possible, they won't be nearly as effective. Even if they could find you." With an evil, maniacal laugh, he left her cell. As the door dropped from the ceiling and locked into place, Sheri dropped to the floor of her cell. Her world was shattered. Her little sister was in the hands of a villain that would warp her mind and soul, she was the prisoner of a madman who was asking for _her_ soul, and the one person in the world since her mom who truly cared for her was possibly dead. She wanted to give in to the despair that was trying to clamber up from the dark depths of her soul, she wanted to just give up completely. She couldn't save her little sister, who had depended upon her from birth. She couldn't go to her girlfriend's side and be there for her. She had no one to turn to.

But it wasn't in her nature to give up or back down. It had gotten her into trouble from pre-k on. It was the reason her brothers would give in to her sooner or later (Henry being a big coward at heart anyway). The human body was surprisingly resilient when it came to trauma; especially Kim's. Kim was in far better shape than even many Olympic athletes. During one of their conversations, the redheaded teen had told her that her family's motto was "Nothing's impossible for a Possible." Then she had told Sheri that her personal motto was one the media had picked up on: "I'm the girl who can do anything." So she vowed, then and there, not to lose faith in her girlfriend, in the one person who never judged her. Then her eyes widened. If Kim _had_ survived the wreck, and _did_ recover enough to become mobile, then saying she would be pissed would be like saying the oceans were wet. Though true, it was such a small part of the full truth as to be a lie.

_Oh, fuck_, she thought as she contemplated the damage a _really_ angry and motivated Kim Possible could do. _I don't know if I hope she succeeds or not. I know what _I_ would do in her situation, but I honestly don't know what _she_ would do. I don't know if anyone has ever seen Kim get as angry as she undoubtedly is right now. I hope she can calm down before Nerdlinger locates Gemini's base and Dementor's lair. If not, then I think the phrase "Hell on Earth" is about to get a new meaning._

**E/N:** And that's that. Once again, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I know it doesn't quite fit the title, but I feel like the title fits the chapter. I gave Kim a bad side in my story **A Spark of Something New**. In the next chapter, Switchblade will seem like a saint. Or at least that's my intention. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, and – as always – read _**and**_ review, please.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR. Also, I do not own Riddick in any way or form; I just mention it as a way to describe the knife.

**A/N:** I hope y'all are enjoying the story. Now that I've gotten my groove back for it, I'm enjoying writing it. This chapter was actually planned to be a part of the last chapter, but considering how chapter 9 went once I got back to writing it I decided to make this fight 'scene' into a whole chapter. So to speak.

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 10 – If You Thought She Was Angry Before . . .**

_Middleton Medical Center_

"_This isn't a good idea, Kim,"_ Wade said over her kimmunicator, worried about the one person who'd always had his back. _"You've barely begun to recover."_

"Fuck that, Wade," she replied, shocking him with the coarse language. "Dementor and Gemini almost killed me. They've taken Sheri and Amy. I've been on my ass for nearly a week; do you know what could have happened to them in that amount of time?"

"_I've tortured myself during that time imagining all the possibilities,"_ he told her. _"You should know better than anyone about that."_ He sighed. _"Kim, Global Justice is doing all they can to locate Gemini and Dementor. You should leave it to them."_

"They've had six days to locate them; the longer it takes the less time they have." Kim sat up in the hospital bed, wincing. Though she had been unhooked from most of the medical equipment she'd been plugged into three days ago, she was still hooked up a good bit. Plus, the internal injuries she'd sustained in the crash were still healing. She was easily on the mend, and would most definitely recover completely, but she had another week before the hospital would discharge her, and at least a month (if not longer) before she'd be ready to resume her 'hobby.' But she wasn't going to wait that long, which was why she was talking to Wade.

"_Kim . . . if you do this, you'll die,"_ the young computer genius told her. _"I . . . I can't be a part of that."_

"I don't intend to get _myself_ killed, Wade," she responded. "Just Dementor and Gemini."

"_That doesn't sound like you at all, Kim. You've _never_ wanted to kill anyone."_

"I've never been that close to death before, nor have I had anyone I loved taken from me like that, either. Those two sons of bitches tried to kill me to get me out of the way. Gemini's always wanted Sheri to work for him, and with Amethyst in either his or Dementor's hands he has a way to force the issue." She took a deep, shuddering breath, which gave Wade a chance to speak.

"_I can't pretend to understand what you're going through, Kim, but you've got to think about this first."_

"I've been in a hospital bed for six days, being conscious for the last three," Kim reminded him. "All I've had to do for those last three days _is_ think. I know you are more than capable of hacking the hospital's mainframe and altering the medical files to get me discharged now."

"_Just walking _out_ of the hospital could be enough to send you right back to that bed,"_ he said. _"And even if it didn't, you're still nowhere near in shape enough to take on both Gemini's and Dementor's henchmen, never mind just one of them."_

"That may be true for the moment," she said, reaching over to begin pulling the IV out.

"_What are you talking about, 'for the moment?'"_ he asked.

"My dad stays up-to-date on developments within the scientific community," she answered, taking her time removing the needle; she _was_ still pretty weak, plus she didn't want to injure herself any more than she already was. "Including cutting-edge and bleeding-edge developments, technological and biological. A lot of which is highly classified. He has an office at home, with a safe that is supposed to be impossible to break into and contains all of that material."

"_You found a way into it? How?"_

"He has it keyed to his DNA and retinal patterns, as well as a fingerprint scanner and voice authorization password," she said. "Getting his blood and fingerprint wasn't that difficult, and my brothers have created devices that can work around the retinal scanner and voice authorization. I simply 'borrowed' them and got into the safe."

"_Why would you do that?"_

"Because I remember what Drakken did to my dad during the Li'l Diablo thing," she snapped, slipping the IV needle out and using the medical tape that had held it in place to cover up the hole. "I decided to keep abreast of anything he knew, even if I didn't really understand it, just in case. And just recently, I found out about a new development in nanotechnology. Right here in Middleton."

"_Are you referring to the Hercules Project?"_

"You know about it, then?"

"_Only the name, and that it's supposed to be developing nanotechnology to be used to enhance soldiers on the battlefield."_

"My dad knows the guy in charge of the project. According to a letter I found in my dad's safe, the Hercules Project was successful in creating the technology. They haven't received the green light for human testing, though."

"_You're going to use the Hercules nanites on _yourself_? Kim, that's crazy!"_

"It's my only chance to save Sheri and Amy in time," she replied.

"_You don't know what side effects could happen! It could kill you! And then what chance would they have of being free again?"_

"Wade, I'm going to do this with or without your help. It'll be easier with your help, though. I'm willing to risk losing my life to save them. I love Sheri. And I'm _in love_ with her." Wade was silent for a moment, and Kim didn't say any more, sensing that he was thinking hard about it all.

"_If you go through with this, you know that Global Justice will come after you. Doctor Director won't have any choice."_

"I don't have any choice, either, Wade. When I kicked Sheri into that electrical tower, I was satisfied that I'd hurt her. I regret hurting her, but . . . I found that I didn't regret doing what caused her to be hurt. I realized that I had a dark side, Wade. What scared me then, and scares me now, is that I know I will do absolutely anything to win."

"_You've never killed anyone before, Kim."_

"There's a first time for everything, Wade. If I can avoid it I will. But I'm not going to hold back this time."

"_This is about more than Shego – I mean Sheri – isn't it?"_

"Amy is just an eight-year-old girl. Granted, she has super powers, but she's still just a kid. And she's in the hands of a pair of villains who won't see her that way."

"_By the time you reach the lobby, your car will be there waiting for you,"_ Wade told her. _"I've hacked the hospital's mainframe, and have disabled all security cameras along the quickest route there. I put the cameras in a loop, though I'm monitoring the security systems to make sure no one notices. You'll have to work around the hospital staff and security, though."_

"Spankin', Wade."

"_What are you going to do about clothes? Someone wandering around in a hospital gown is sure to be noticed."_

"I'll handle that."

It took her longer than she'd thought to get out of the hospital, but she managed to make it without anyone really noticing. Dressing as a nurse certainly helped; she didn't feel any guilt about knocking the woman out, either. She wasn't in any shape to drive yet, either, so Wade kept remote control of the car and navigated it to the Middleton Science Center, where the Hercules Project was located at. It didn't take the boy genius much longer to hack the MSC's cyber security than it did the hospital's, and soon enough she was in. Doctor Pete R. Piper, the head of the project, was surprised to see her, and was of course shocked that she not only knew about it but wanted to use it.

"Why on Earth would you want to subject yourself to it?" Dr. Piper asked, unable to hide his surprise and confusion.

"I need it, Doctor," Kim replied, wincing. She wrapped an arm across her middle, grasping the opposite side, and winced. "Please."

"I'm going to need more than that, Kim," he said. "We're ready for human testing, though I don't know how you know that, but I'm just not certain how it would react in practice. The simulations show a seventy-three percent success rate, though that still means a high rate of failure for something like this."

"People I care about are in danger," she told him. "I'm still pretty injured. By all forms of common sense, I shouldn't even be out of the hospital right now. But no one's been able to find them, and . . . and they've been held for nearly a week."

"A lot can happen in a week," he agreed, his tone sympathetic.

"By the time I've recovered enough to do something about it myself, if I wait that long, it'll be far too late."

"If no one has found them, how can you help?"

"Because I know where many of Dementor's lairs are located. I get into one, I can have my . . . tech specialist can access its mainframe and locate all of his lairs – including which one he's actively using." Her eyes hardened, and Pete visibly shivered at the promise of death in them. "I'm going to use your Hecules Project, Doctor, with or without your aid."

"It'll have to be 'with,' Kim, because you wouldn't understand how to even start," he replied. He sighed. "This is against every state and federal law, not to mention every single guideline and rule for scientific testing." He looked at her, staring right into her eyes. "But I couldn't live with myself knowing people's lives were at risk and I had refused to help."

He stood up and gestured for her to follow him. Then he thought better of it and grabbed a nearby wheelchair.

"You have a wheelchair already here?" she asked, surprised.

"It was more of a 'just in case' thing," he admitted. "If we were approved for human testing, protocol would require us to make things as easy for the subject as possible." Helping her into the wheelchair, he then guided her through the lab spaces and experimentation rooms to a large room that had a glass chamber – containing a chair of some kind with straps – in the middle of it.

"That looks like something from a super hero movie," she said.

"Actually, that's where we got the idea," he replied sheepishly. "The, um, straps are made of a special polymeric compound that is molecularly woven with titanium threads. As unbreakable as human science can make them."

"You're not taking any chances, are you?" she asked rhetorically, wincing as the doctor helped her up from the wheelchair. Guiding her over to the 'chair' (which was less of a chair than a vaguely person-shaped padded table), he helped her up onto it – since it was vertical – and proceeded to strap her in.

"Can't afford to," he agreed. "We've only recently completed building this room, and actually finished setting everything up earlier today."

"You're not comfortable with this, are you?"

"No, I'm not, but I know enough about you to know that would have gone through this any way. Better that I help and have it all done properly than let a non-scientist attempt it and ruin years of work." He finished strapping her in and reached around the chair to pull out wires attached to medical patches and IV needles. "I'm going to explain what I'm doing, and what's going to happen. Or, at least, what I'm hoping will happen." Clearing his throat, Pete R. Piper began attaching the medical monitor patches to the teen hero. "What I'm doing right now is attaching these monitors to you. They'll relay your vitals to the control console over against the right wall – the left wall from your current perspective – and allow me to keep an eye on them. The IV lines I'll be hooking into you will allow sedatives, electrolytic compounds, and the basic nanites to be 'injected' into you."

"'Basic nanites?'" she asked.

"Yes. Unprogrammed nanites – which are molecule-sized computers – are kept in a liquid medium. It helps keep them inert – or at least the compound we 'store' them in does. Once they enter your bloodstream, they'll activate and begin replicating. Your body's normal functions will ensure that they spread throughout it completely. Once the monitor patches tell me that nanite saturation is at one hundred percent, I'll put in a series of commands that will cause a gas to release into the chamber."

"How will entering my bloodstream cause the nanites to activate?" Kim asked. "And just what kind of gas will I be breathing?"

"Good questions," Piper said. "The electrolytic compound that I mentioned earlier will be entering your body before the nanites. Contact with that compound will trigger nanite activation. The whole process of nanite saturation was actually based upon the way cancer cells reproduce and spread. Part of what makes cancer so dangerous is the fact that it is unchecked cellular replication. The Hercules nanites _do_ have some slight programming – at least in the basic form. Once the monitoring computer detects one hundred percent nanite saturation – well, actually, ninety-five percent saturation – it'll shut off the nanite and electrolytic feeds. The lack of active electrolytic solution will actually put the nanites onto standby, which is when the gas compound will come into play." He finished inserting and securing the last IV feed and stepped back. "The gas contains specially created molecules that are, essentially, biological software. Essentially, the gas molecules are programmed with the instructions for the nanites. When the molecules come into contact with the stand-by nanites, the programming contained within them will activate. The instructions are generalized at first, but will become specialized as the nanites begin adapting the programming to the specific area they're in."

"My head's starting to hurt now," Kim said, "though I'm not sure if that's from the explanations you're giving me or my injuries."

Pete chuckled, and went on. "Now, the nanites won't replicate any further. Not without reason, anyway. Once the programming activates and adapts, the nanites will begin modifying your body. Your body's oxygen consumption efficiency will be increased, your musculature and circulatory systems will become much more efficient, and your nerve conduction speed will be enhanced. What that means is you will become faster, stronger, and much more capable than ever before. Your bone density will be increased, making them stronger than ever. Your muscle density will also increase, which is what will increase your strength. The ones that bond with your nervous system will increase the rate at which it transmits information, allowing you to react faster. They will also help adpat your mind to your heavier bones and muscles. In fact, your reaction times will be so enhanced that it can be measured in nanoseconds. You'll become 'superhuman,' as it were. There is one more thing, too. Any injuries you sustain will begin healing almost immediately, with no trace that they were ever there."

"What if, like now, I'm already injured?" she asked.

"It won't matter to the nanites that you're injured before their 'arrival.' The nanites enhancing your body's immune system and ability to heal will repair _any_ damage they find."

"But you don't know how things will actually go, do you?"

"No," he admitted. "There is a strong possibility that the process could kill you. Or drive you insane. Unfortunately, all of the simulations we've run so far have indicated that once fully activated, there is no way to shut down the nanites. So if they process doesn't kill, but does drive you insane, there's no way to fix the problem."

"I don't really have a choice, Doctor," Kim said softly. She glanced at him and nodded once. "Do it."

He nodded, although somewhat reluctantly, his acknowledgement, and stepped out of the chamber. He punched a command into the keypad on it, and watched as the chamber was sealed. He walked over to the control console and began pressing buttons, punching in commands. After a few moments, he looked up and stared at Kim, his finger poised over the key that would activate the whole process. Taking a deep breath, he let it out and pushed the button.

_Dementor's Lair_

Professor Dementor's patience and rather even temperment had been stretched to the breaking point and beyond. Ever since he and Gemini had arranged for the accident and captured Shego and her little sister, he had been trying to convince – by brainwashing – the little girl into serving him, so he could then begin training her for her role as his sidekick and chief enforcer. After all, he would need someone superior to Shego in order to defeat Gemini and his Worldwide Evil Empire when he began his bid to take over the world. First, though, once he'd broken the girl, he'd convince Gemini to partner up with him again so they could take out Global Justice. Once he had access to the vast resources of GJ, he'd turn on his so-called partner and take him out, then use W.E.E.'s vast personnel to form the start of his army.

But the first obstacle to his plan had to be broken and tamed.

Amethyst Goodman was proving to be a much tougher individual than he'd expected. He shouldn't have been surprised, though, considering she'd been raised from birth by her older sister, Sheri. Or Shego, as she'd been known since her Team Go days. He had no idea an 8-year-old little girl, even with the telekinetic powers she was displaying, could be so difficult to subdue. Of course, in Dementor's defense, he had little experience with children that young – or at all. He'd 'acquired' a variety of technology that he had worked into a manacle like device that worked to supress the physiological triggers for Shego's powers. He wasn't exactly sure how Amethyst's powers worked, so the manacles were only somewhat effective. He had also recently hired some more henchmen from Hench Co. to boost his personnel numbers. He didn't know how long Gemini would be able to hold on to Shego, and would rather not take any chances. So, while he was being frustrated in his endeavor to brainwash Amethyst, he had also spent the past six days turning his lair into a fortress, buying or – preferably – outright stealing materials and weapons, along with all sorts of surveillence gadgets.

He wasn't taking any chances with his prize, though considering what was coming he really should have taken a lot more precautions.

_Outside Dementor's Lair_

Kim trudged up the somewhat steep hillside to Dementor's expanded lair as though she was walking on level ground. By the time Doctor Piper's procedure had been completed, Wade had contacted Elena Parks and given her Kim's location, as well as a rundown on the situation. The much older woman had been waiting for Kim when she'd walked out of the lab. The pain of the Hercules Procedure had been great, and had actually shocked Kim out of her sedative-induced slumber. She'd actually ripped the restraints holding one arm and leg down before a stronger dose had kicked in. After everything was done and she'd regained consciousness, Pete R. Piper had run some tests on her to determine the project's success as well as her mental state. She'd passed it all with flying colors. Dr. Piper had wanted her to stay so he could run more tests on her, determine the limits of her abilities as well as to analyze her so he could document the Hercules Project's success, but she had refused. She had, however, told him she would 'document' her actions so he would have the data on her performance. She had also told him she'd come back so he could run the tests he needed to – if she was able to.

The ride from the Middleton Science Center to one of Germany's majestic mountains had been swift and uneventful – except for slipping undetected into German airspace. The hold of the VSTOL (Vertical/Short Take-Off/Landing) aircraft had been empty except for Elena – and more weapons and equipment than special operations strike teams possessed. Everything from smoke grenades of differing colors to reusable anti-tank missile launchers was in the hold. After all, Wade had – reluctantly – explained Kim's desire to 'do whatever it took' to the older woman, who still didn't become as infuriated as the redheaded teen was. Elena had landed nearby to wait for her, and would come to retrieve Kim and Amethyst once the teen hero had rescued the eight-year-old. Kim had had Elena cut her hair, so now it barely brushed her shoulders; she was also wearing the combat helmet that went with the armor/uniform she was wearing. All told, no one would recognize her if they saw her – although that wouldn't hold up if her helmet came off.

The closer she got to Dementor's lair, the more she anticipated – very eagerly – trouble. She knew she could have air-dropped right in front of the rogue German scientist's secret fortress, but that would have bypassed a good number of the henchmen he no doubt had now. Perhaps it was because of the enhancements provided by the Hercules Project, or maybe it was a side effect of the variety of modifications the project had made to her, but not only had she _not_ broken a sweat by the time she ran into trouble, she _heard_ the trouble before she saw it. A large tracked vehicle broke through the thick tree cover to her left, the large gun on it swiveling in her direction. Before it could align with her, however, she had unslung the large tube that been hanging from her shoulder by its attached strap and aimed it at the tank. Squeezing the grip-mounted trigger, she easily rode the recoil of the light anti-tank weapon as the armor-piercing missile left the launch tube. Dropping the single-use weapon, she sprinted towards Dementor's fortress. By the time the missile had impacted on the tank right between the hull and the turret, the redhead had easily cleared fifty yards. As she kept on running, she knew that she had ended the lives of at least three people – and when she mentally paused to consider that thought, she realized she didn't really care.

Dementor had just settled the helmet to his mind-warping device on the little girl's head when alarms began going off. Walking away from the dentist-like chair the girl was strapped into, he headed over to a control panel and pushed a button that linked the communications unit in the console with his fortress's new command center.

"Vhat is it?" he demanded.

"_Apologies, Professor,"_ came the reply. _"The perimeter has been breached, and we've lost a tank."_

"Vhat?! How iz zhat possible?! No one should knew vhere ve are!"

"_Someone does, Professor. They just wiped out one of our tanks, and we've lost contact with a few of the patrols."_

"Let me talk to one of zhem," he demanded.

"_At once, _Herr_ Professor."_ There was a moment of silence, followed by a squealch of static. Then, _"This is Team Nineteen."_

"Zhis is Professor Dementor. Vhat is going on, Team Seventeen?"

"_We don't know yet, sir. Losing Tank Twelve was the first sign something was wrong. Then Teams Twenty-seven and Twenty-one dropped off the air. And we just lost contact with Team Nineteen."_

"So zhe intruders are heading towards your position, zhen?"

"_Yes, sir. It can't be a large team, since there aren't any signs of large-scale movement. Without assuming anything, Professor, I'd have to say we're dealing with a small commando team."_

"You _vill_ hold zhem back, you and zhe rest of zhe teams. I have not come so far just to have zome foolish do-gooders try to interrupt _mein_ vork."

"_We'll do our best, sir. You can count-"_ There was a strange whistling sound, followed by a strange squeal, and then nothing but static.

"Hello? Hello! Team Seventeen! You vill answer me!"

"_I'm sorry, but they're a little . . . indisposed at the moment,"_ replied a _very_ familiar voice that made Dementor's blood run colder than liquid nitrogen. _"You have someone important to me. If you're lucky, she'll be unharmed and things will go quickly. If you're not lucky, though, you'd better hope your so-called 'security teams' can accomplish the impossible and stop me before I get to you."_

"You von't make it anyvhere close to _me_, Kim Possible!" Dementor ranted.

"_You know, 'Kim Possible' is a nice person who wants to do whatever she can to make the world a better place. Right now, the only thing I care about is getting Amethyst and Sheri back. No matter what I have to do."_ There was a moment of silence that went on long enough to make Dementor believe Kim Possible had left. Then that hope was dashed. _"And I'm coming for you. I sincerely hope you've had a fulfilling life."_ There was a 'pop' and then the rogue German scientist only heard dead air over the comm line. He stood there for a long moment, stunned, as his mind attempted to process the fact that Kim Possible was not only still alive, but was healthy enough to track him down and come after him. He glanced over at the chair that the little girl, Amethyst, was strapped into, the mind-warping helmet concealing her features, and involuntarily swallowed.

That seemed to break the spell hearing the teen hero's voice had cast, and Dementor hurriedly contacted his command center again.

"Do vhatever it takes, but zhat accursed Kim Possible does not get in here!" he screamed into the microphone.

Kim wasn't aware of it, or perhaps she was, but she wore a sinister smile that failed to reach her eyes as she fought the large number of henchmen and 'soldiers' Dementor had hired and recruited to protect himself. The old Kim Possible, the girl she'd been before, probably wouldn't have made it this far without getting brought down. The person she'd once been probably would have tried to infiltrate the scientist's lair and stop him directly. Not anymore. Not since she'd nearly been killed. Something had changed inside of her; she realized that as she punched a Riddick-style blade into a henchman's neck, had realized it when she'd woken up in the hospital.

Ducking under a wild swing, she spun around into a spinning kick that slammed into a henchman's neck hard enough to snap it. At the same time, she buried a fist – and the knife clenched in it – into another's gut. His scream persisted only as long as it took her to twist the knife up into his heart. Yanking her hand out as she brought her foot back down, Kim sent snow spraying up behind her as she sprinted for the entrance to Dementor's lair. Inside, according to Elena's information, she would face more henchmen/soldiers as well as some automated defenses. She threw herself into a slide as the heavy-duty door slammed shut, slipping underneath it just in time. Standing up, she brushed the snow off of her black combat armor/uniform. She chose to keep her helmet on, as she knew Dementor would have security cameras and recording devices scattered throughout his complex, and that Dr. Director and Global Justice would undoubtedly acquire the data. She intended to leave no evidence that it was _Kim Possible_ who had wrought such carnage, even if Betty would know that she _had_; she would have nothing to prove it, of course. Straightening up, she began heading deeper into the complex.

Her first obstacle was a hardpoint held by four henchmen and some kind of machine gun-equipped automated drone. Plucking a grenade from her combat harness, she rolled it into the drone and sprange towards the hallway wall opposite where she was standing. As the grenade exploded, damaging the drone and destroying its ammunition feed, she touched the wall halfway up its height just long enough to leap from it to another position at the same height further down the corridor. The armed henchmen tried to stop her, of course, firing their automatic rifles at her (well, three rifles and one laser of some kind). She pulled a shuriken from a pouch on her belt and flung it in a curving arc that ended in a wall; during its flight, though, it sliced through the throats of the four henchmen. She finished her wall-to-wall dash down the corridor at the four corpses, landing on the floor with the same grace she brought to her cheer routines.

Straightening up, she found herself face-to-face with the open end of a gun. Looking past it to the henchmen holding it, she let her hands drop to her sides. Of course, the large and muscular man before her didn't realize that doing so gave her more freedom of movement. And with her boosted physiology, she could react _much_ faster than he could.

"You now have two choices," she said in a voice colder than space. The fact that her helmet altered her voice as well as hid her face made her tone even more menacing. "Stand aside . . . or die." It didn't take long for the man to decide: he dropped his gun and held up his hands as he stepped aside. "Good choice," she said, then dropped the man with a cross-punch to his jaw. Shaking her hand, the bruised knuckles underneath her gauntlet already healing thanks to the nanotech fused with her body, Kim smiled grimly and smashed open the electronic lock panel that had kept shut the door currently blocking her way. As it slid up into the ceiling, she said, to herself, "Don't worry, Amethyst. Kimmie's coming."

Dementor could only stand there, in shock, as the intruder – who could only be Kim Possible – made her bloody way into his formerly impregnable fortress. The speed and viciousness of the assault went against everything Kim Possible stood for and was capable of, yet only one person could have figured out where he had hidden himself. He glanced back at where the girl was restrained in the chair, back at the main monitor, then back to the girl again.

"It should not be possible," he said in his accented voice. "Even if Kim Possible had survived zhe wreck, she should still be in zhe hospital. Zhere is no vay it can be zhat infernal teen hero, yet zhere is no ozher explanation." He gulped as he began hearing the screams and weapons fire from the main door of his command center rather than through the microphone pickups.

Screaming her fury like a banshee, Kim launched herself into the knot of henchmen standing between her and the command center's door. She had discovered its location through the incredibly helpful and unbelievably stupid maps placed at certain points in the corridors. Her Riddick-knives were back in their sheaths on the back of her combat harness, and two Japanese-style short swords with serrated edges were in her hands right now. She'd just slashed the cutting edges of the blades through the throats of two henchmen when her helmet's comm unit crackled.

"_Kim, this is Elena. Bad news. We've picked up incoming Global Justice aircraft. Our exit window just went from 'whenever' to 'pretty damn soon.'"_

"Not to worry, Parks," she replied, throwing a sword into the back of a retreating enemy. "I'm just about done here. See you in about five minutes or so." Retrieving her sword, she finished off the last remaining henchmen – in the corridor, that is – then sheathed the bloody blades on her back, their hilts sticking over her shoulders. Looking back the way she'd come, she checked for any signs of immediate reinforcements but saw none. Shrugging, she turned her attention to the door in front of her. Stepping over a couple of bodies, she reached the door and raised up a closed hand . . .

For a moment, all the evil scientist heard was silence. Then he heard knocking on the command center's door, which was followed by a little hiss from the intercom next to the door. Then he heard, _"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."_ That was followed by a sinister, blood-chilling chuckle. Before Dementor could do anything, the door slid up into the ceiling with a gentle hissing sound, revealing a faceless, black-clad figure – and a scene of carnage behind the obviously feminie individual.

"W-who are y-y-you?" he stammered, backpedaling some.

"I think we both know the answer to that, Professor," she replied. "Don't we?"

"It's not possible!" he exlaimed, fear paling his features. He saw the minute shifting of the intruder's head, sensed the increased menace in the air, and knew that the little girl had been spotted. Although to be honest, not even a blind man could have missed an eight-year-old girl in loose white pants with a matching loose white t-shirt strapped into an obviously ill-intentioned chair. When her gaze returned to him, he couldn't help gulping as fear sent a fresh surge of adrenaline through his body.

"I-I have done nozhing yet," he said as Kim Possible began walking towards him. "It has taken me all zhis time just to build zhe machine you see her bound to." She was now easily within arm's reach of him. "Please, do not hurt me. I shall come vithout a fuss."

"Oh, don't worry, Professor," Kim told him, her voice still disguised by the helmet. "I don't intend to hurt you." Dementor's body sagged with relief. A relief that proved to be false when Kim slashed a Riddick-knife across his neck. His eyes bulged nearly out of his head as blood poured out of the deep cut on his neck. It didn't take him long to sag to the floor and collapse in his own pool of blood. Staring down at Dementor's corpse, she said, "I intend to kill you." Walking over to a console in the room, she uploaded a custom-built program designed by Wade. Within moments, it had found the information it had been made to seek, which Kim downloaded to a PDA (personal digital assistant) Elena had provided her. Slipping the device into a pocket on her thigh, she activated the program's secondary function, which triggered the fortress's SDM, or **S**elf-**D**estruct **M**ode. Then she walked over to the still-unconscious Amethyst and removed her bonds.

**Global Justice Headquarters**

"_Nothing is left, Director,"_ Will Du reported from the crater that used to be Dementor's fortress. _"The self-destruct was pretty thorough."_

"Are you sure, Agent Du?" Betty Director asked. "Nothing survived?"

"_We've just begun clean up of the site, but our initial surveys – along with aerial shots – indicate that not much survived. There is evidence, though, that a hard-fought battle occurred before the self-destruct was triggered."_

"Any indication of who it was?"

"_No, ma'am."_

"Best guess."

"_At least one, possibly two, small strike teams equipped with a combat of light anti-tank weapons and short-range non-ballistic weapons."_

"And our information says that this is where Dementor was, along with Shego's little sister?"

"_Yes, ma'am."_

"Thank you, Agent Du. Continue your investigation and cleanup, then report back to HQ."

"_Yes, ma'am,"_ he said, then signed off. Betty leaned back in her chair with a sigh. Wade Load, Kim Possible's computer genius, had been the one to supply the information. He'd given them the information shortly after she'd recieved two unsettling reports: the first was that Kim Possible had vanished from her hospital, and the second was that an angular, twin-nacelled VTOL (**V**ertical **T**ake-**O**ff/**L**anding) had been seen landing (and then taking off) from the Middleton Science Center. Will Du had also been alarmed when she'd shown him the reports, but not as alarmed as she had been – and still was. He thought them pure coincidence, and didn't see how they could be related. But Betty knew better. It didn't take an imagination or an alphabet soup of degrees to figure out that Kim Possible, as injured as she was, had slipped out of the hospital and made her way to the Middleton Science Center, where she had been picked up by Elena Parks's custom-built Osprey aircraft. Research into GJ's Top-Secret files had indicated that there was a 'super soldier' project being developed at the MSC, one that was code-named Hercules. All the information about it indicated that it could be used to not only enhance an individual's body, but also restore it to full functionality no matter how injured a person was – as long as they weren't dead or close to death, that is.

Using illegal taps, Betty had found no evidence that Kim Possible had gone to the Middleton Science Center and used the Hercules Project, much less left the hospital. Yet her gut told that was what had happened.

"So now we have to deal with a super-enhanced Kim Possible who is capable of killing," she said to herself. "There may not be any evidence at all of such a thing happening, yet that is the only explanation for the current chain of events. And even if we find an intact data storage unit at what is left of Dementor's fortress, I'm more than sure that we won't find any direct evidence that it was Kim Possible who attacked it." Groaning, she leaned forward, put her elbows on her desk, and rested her head in her hands. "With Kim now capable of taking a life," she whispered, "there is nothing she won't do if she feels threatened – or feels that those she cares about are threatened."

**Worldwide Evil Empire Headquarters**

Gemini felt the blood drain from his face as one of his satellites orbited over the location of Dementor's fortress. Or, rather, the massive crater that now sat in its place. Even though he believed himself to be smarter than his twin sister, he – like Will Du – failed to make the connection between Kim Possible's disappearance from the hospital, the aircraft sighted at the Middleton Science Center, _and_ the destruction of Dementor's 'secret' mountain fortress. Of course, he didn't really think there was a way Kim Possible could have survived that wreck. He wasn't dumb enough to think it couldn't happen, but he had felt it was extremely unlikely. Until he'd seen the news reports indicating that the world-famous teen heroine had been in a horrific car accident and had been taken to the nearest major hospital for treatment. After that, the news reports had been rather vague on the teen's condition.

"This is an unexpected development, isn't it, Pepe?" he asked his dog. The response was a single yip. "Oh, I quite agree. This is bad, but only if one does not see the possibilities now available." More yips and a bark. "We would have had to deal with the good professor ourselves sooner or later; preferably sooner, as later would allow him to brainwash that little girl into the Shego-like sidekick he desired. Although the raw destruction we are now looking at is very . . . how shall I say . . . 'unsettling,' it is an indication that someone has saved us the trouble." A couple more barks. "Well, no, I do not know who has done us this favor. I do know it is not the work of those fools at Global Justice." Those last two words sent Pepe into a frenzy of barking. "It is alright, my dear Pepe, it is alright. We will have our revenge on those fools soon enough.

**Ten feet above the ocean, on approach to W.E.E. HQ**

"How is she doing?" Elena Parks asked as she entered the aircraft's main compartment.

"Actually sleeping this time," Kim replied, brushing a stray strand of hair away from the eight-year-old's face. "I'm surprised she wasn't harmed at all in the accident. Probably her telekinesis."

"She _is_ a remarkable kid," the older woman agreed. "Just like her big sister, her mom . . . you."

"I'm not all that remarkable," the redhead replied, feeling depressed.

"Are you kidding?" Elena said, surprised at the response. "Look at you. You go to school, practice cheerleading, _and_ save the world on a daily basis on top of all of that. You can fight a woman with plasma powers, super-fast healing, and martial arts skills to a standstill. You do what few organizations, much less individual _people_, can do. To add some awesome icing to an already kick-ass cake, you're gonna be dealing with the issues of being a lesbian. It won't be easy for you, but something tells me you'll be able to handle it." She smiled at the now-blushing teen. "So, tell me, how is that _not_ remarkable?"

"Okay, okay, you've made your point," Kim grumbled, but good-naturedly. But her good mood was short-lived. "But nothing will be the same. Really, nothing's been the same since the accident. And I don't just mean the Hercules nanobots fused with my DNA."

"Kid, you nearly died," she replied. "Nobody will be the same after something like that."

"You don't get it, Elena. Before, I was a good person. Straight-A student, captain of the cheerleading squad, globe-trotting teen hero. Just a few hours ago you helped me, indirectly since you only gave me weapons and a ride, to kill dozens of people."

"Only those who were responsible for almost killing you, and for taking my nieces."

"Dementor and Gemini were the ones responsible for that accident, not the people I just killed."

"It doesn't matter, Kimberly," Elena told her, resting a hand on the teen's shoulder. "They worked for this Dementor guy, more than likely knowing what he did and who he was. If they didn't when they signed on, they did afterwards. The fact that they still chose to work for him shows they didn't care. So they were guilty by association. And if that argument won't work for you, then how about the very simple and obvious fact that they chose to work for a known criminal?"

"It doesn't matter how you rationalize it, the fact remains that I killed people." Kim looked up at her, the depth of her despair revealed by the openness of her eyes. "I killed people for no other reason than that they were in my way, that they were between and Amethyst."

"That's good enough for me," Elena told her. "Family is more important than anything. If you're not willing to do whatever it takes to protect your family, to protect those you love, then what's the point of caring for anyone?"

"But . . . but Amethyst and Sheri aren't my family."

"You love them, right? You love Sheri as the one person who completes you, who makes you feel whole. And you love Amethyst like a kid sister, don't you? Isn't that what you told me after I picked you up outside the Middleton Science Center? I know you're feeling bad for what you did, because that's who you were, but the fact that you did it at all indicates that you aren't that person anymore. Everybody changes as each day comes and goes, though such changes aren't always noticeable. You're a different person now, Kimberly, and that is something that actually _won't_ change."

"So what am I supposed to do? Act like it didn't happen at all?"

"Of course not. Fuck, girl, nobody can forget taking one life, much less more. All you can do is move on. Taking a life isn't something that should be easy to do, no matter how easy it is to do. Now, though, I have to ask: is your resolve to rescue Sheri still strong?"

"Of course! Nothing will stop me from getting her back!"

"Gemini is going to have more men and better weapons than Dementor did. You're going to have to kill again."

"I'll do what I have to do. I'll have to live with the consequences of whatever I do, I know that. It won't be easy. But like you said, and like I knew when I woke up in that hospital room, I'm not the person I was before." She looked at the older woman, her eyes hardening. "Perhaps it's for the best. I was the girl who could do anything, then. Now, I'm the girl who _will_ do anything."

**W.E.E. HQ**

The first indication Gemini, or anyone within the island-based facilities that made up the Worldwide Evil Empire's headquarters, had that anything was amiss was when the radar arrays picked up two missiles. There was no sign of a launching aircraft – the angle of their tracks meant that a ship or submersible vehicle couldn't have launched them. Jamming and other electronic countermeasures didn't seem to work, either; no one in the HQ's defense control room knew that the missiles were being remotely operated from an electronically invisible aircraft. One missile veered off and headed towards the generator building, to knock out the anti-aircraft systems while the other aimed itself at the massive golf ball-looking sphere that housed the base's radar systems.

Which meant no one was paying attention to the jet-pack approach of Kim Possible.

"Where did those missiles come from?!" Gemini roared angrily as stormed into his control center.

"Unknown, sir," replied one of his Greek alphabet-named henchmen. "They just appeared out of nowhere."

Before Gemini could say anything, one of the missiles was shot down – but the other impacted against the generator facility. The missile just happened to hit a critical section of the main facility, sending it _and_ the quintet of secondary generators into critical overloads. W.E.E. personnel attempted to stop the overload by shutting down the generators, but they only managed to get two of the secondaries shut down before everything else overloaded. The explosion blew apart everything – and every_one_ – within a quarter of a mile, which made Gemini glad he'd put his headquarters on a large island. The main facilities remained intact, though they did sustain damage from the shockwave and debris.

"What's going on?!" he demanded.

"The missile hit a critical part of our primary generator building, and overloaded _all_ of the generators. We managed to get two shut down in time, but the remaining three – along with the primary – blew up, causing massive damage and casualties within a quarter-mile radius," replied one of his henchmen. "The back-up generator came online, which is why your main building still has power, sir. We'll try bringing the secondaries back up, but for the moment we have no power outside of here."

"That means we are vulnerable to Global Justice," he said, causing Pepe to bark frantically. He calmed his dog down, then walked out of his command center. "Bring everything back on, or you _all_ will be getting a 'severance' package," he said before the doors closed.

"I knew I should have gone with NASA," one of the henchmen muttered.

Gemini headed down to his 'interrogation' level, where he'd been keeping Shego. The door to the main room _swished_ open as he approached, then _swished_ closed when he was in. In the middle of the room was Shego, strapped into a T-shaped chair set parallel to the floor, though it could be raised up to a perpendicular position.

"Hello again, my dear Shego," he said in a lofty voice that made him sound (to her, anyway) as though he had a cold.

"You should see a doctor about that cold," Sheri quipped. Her body – what was exposed by the straps keeping her down – showed several scars, quite a few of them freshly healed. The floor underneath the 'chair' had some dark brownish stains – dried blood puddles.

"You're very lucky, my dear, that your powers have given you an enhanced ability to recover," Gemini growled. "Else you would have died days ago."

"Aww, what's the matter, One-Eye?" she said with false concern. "Can't break your toy? Gonna throw a little tantrum? Scream and cry?"

"I'm sure you would find such a scene amusing," he replied, struggling to maintain his composure. "However, I find I no longer have a need to torture you to convince you to work for me."

"Aww, no more fun?" Sheri asked, putting out her lower lip in an exaggerated pout.

"You are a strong-willed woman, Shego. But not even the strongest will can defeat the best technology."

"Can you just kill me now? You're just as bad as Drakken."

"Oh, _I_ won't be the one killing you." Gemini chuckled darkly. Then he reached behind his back with his flesh-and-blood hand and brought it back out. "You see, while I've been torturing you to convince you to join my rather exalted organization, I was also developing a special neurological chip. Or, rather, modifying one."

"Yawn," she said.

"I recently discovered the existence of a microchip that could be modified to interface with a person's nervous system. It was originally intended to, one day, allow paralysis victims to walk again. However, with my modifications, it will allow me to circumvent control of your body, bypassing your brain." The smirk had vanished from Sheri's face, and her green-tinged albino skin had become even paler. Gemini noticed this, and a mirthless grin spread across his own face. "I see you grasp my intention. Once I have installed this chip at the base of your skull, I'll be able to control your body. And you'll be aware of every single moment, while being unable to do anything about it."

With all the chaos and confusion from the missile strike, it was child's play for Kim to sneak into Gemini's headquarters. Of course, she still ran into opposition. But considering how pissed off she was, even after her little guilt-trip earlier, she had no trouble. Anyone following after her wouldn't find it hard to do; all they would have to do would be to follow the bodies and blood trails.

Yanking her hand out of a henchman's gut, pulling her blood-soaked 'Riddick-knife' out, she turned to face the last goon in this section of corridor. She still wore her concealing helmet, with its one-way visor, so Gemini's security footage wouldn't record the 'girl who can do anything' being a cold-blooded killer.

"Where is he keeping her?" she asked, her voice muffled by the helmet and altered by a highly advanced masking device incorporated into it. When the W.E.E. goon didn't answer immediately, she took an aggressive step towards him, bringing her knives into striking position.

"In the interrogation level!" he shouted, panic in his voice. "He has her in the interrogation level! He's there, too!"

"Thank you," she said, and walked past the man. Unintentionally on her part, her strike against his spine – which severed it completely and killed him in seconds – came at the exact same moment the henchman breathed a sigh of relief. Pausing for a moment, she shrugged and kept on walking, following the on-wall directions to reach the interrogation level. When she forced open the door, however, she was met with a sight she didn't expect: Gemini, with a smirk on his face, standing next to Sheri – who was wearing one of Gemini's uniforms.

"You're too late, Kim Possible," he crowed, following it with an evil chuckle. "Shego belongs to me now."

"Are you sure I'm Kim Possible?" she asked. "After all, from what I've heard, Kim Possible is a hero who has never killed anyone. I, on the other hand, I've killed dozens of people. I rescued Amethyst Goodman from Professor Dementor, killing a couple dozen of his men – and him. And, now, I've killed around a couple dozen or so of your men." She shrugged. "Now all that's left is to kill you and rescue Sheridan Goodman."

"Who?" he asked, a bewildered look on his face.

"Shego," she replied.

"You may find that impossible."

"Impossible is my stock in trade."

"Let me tell you why. You see, after torturing her for a week, I learned that I couldn't convince Shego to join my illustrious organization. So, while I was having her tortured, I was also researching a variety of methods to 'bypass' her impressively strong will. I finally discovered a special, experimental microchip that would, if it became approved, take the neural signals from the brain – at least the ones dealing with motor impulses – and transmit them through the nervous system. It _was_ intended for people dealing with any and all forms of paralysis. However, I realized it could be better served as a way to control a person without using laborous and ultimately doomed-to-failure mind control methods. By inserting it directly into the spinal column where it connects with the skull, I can literally bypass her brain to control her body."

"You talk too much," Kim said, raising a pistol and shooting the one-eyed villain in the head – _through his one remaining eye._ Reholstering the pistol as the now-dead villain hit the floor, she walked over to the woman she had come to love and looked her in the eye.

"I assume your mouth still works?" she asked.

"You definitely can't be Kim Possible," the green-tinged woman replied, answering her question. "You're too much of a cold-blooded bad-ass to be her."

"Let's get you out of here."

"I kinda can't move on my own right now, genius. Remember his painfully boring monologue? He was actually telling the truth for once."

"I assume that remote control in his hand is for you?"

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Testy, aren't you?"

"You would be, too, if you couldn't make yourself move, dumbass." Kim walked over and picked it up.

"Hey, what do you know. He was dumb enough to put in an 'Off' switch," she said, depressing the button with her thumb. Sheri's sigh of relief told her it had worked.

"Now let's get out of here," Sheri said, heading for the exit.

When they got outside, Elena's custom-built tilt-rotor aircraft was just landing, and the woman herself was leaning out the rear ramp.

"Hurry your asses up!" she shouted over the slight roar of the plane's stealthed jet engines. "Global Justice is on the way, and we just gassed up at Gemini's helipad!"

"Elena?" Sheri said in shock as she recognized her aunt. The shock didn't stop her from running into the plane, right behind the shorter, slimmer woman who could only be her Kimmie. As soon as their feet hit the deployed ramp, the pilot increased thrust and the medium-sized aircraft shot straight into the air. The ramp began closing as the plane gained altitude and its jet engines – mounted on the ends of the aircraft's large wings – switched to horizontal flight. Elena went to the cockpit as Sheri and Kim sat down on two of the seats in the hold. Sheri stared in apprehension as the other woman removed her faceless helmet to reveal, as she had guessed just a moment ago, Kim.

"I don't believe it," she said.

"Believe it, bitch," Kim replied with a grin.

"You . . . you killed him."

"That generally happens when you shoot a nine-millimeter slug into a person's brain."

"I don't . . . I don't understand."

"The bastard, along with Dementor, nearly killed me. I actually _should_ have died in that car crash. It was the purest of luck, and maybe a little divine intervention, that I survived."

"If that's true, then shouldn't you still be in the hospital?"

"I would be, if it weren't for the Hercules Project."

"The what?"

"A barely known, bleeding-edge experimental nanotechnology project intended to help create the next generation of soldiers – or to greatly enhance the current generations." She sighed. "It's made me stronger and faster than I ever was, perhaps stronger and faster than any normal person alive. It's also given my body the ability to heal itself supernaturally fast. Faster than you, even."

"Holy shit," Sheri said, stunned. "So you're basically a superhuman?"

"Pretty much," she confirmed.

"Fuck," she replied, shaking her head. Then she looked over at her girlfriend. "And it's true about Amy and Dementor?"

"One hundred percent," the redhead confirmed. "Amethyst is safe onboard one of Elena's other aircraft, on her way to Middleton Airport. And Dementor's dead as well as vaporized – his base's self-destruct went off, literally vaporizing everything within."

"And . . . and you did all of this . . . just for me and my sister?"

"Something changes in you when you come as close to death as I did," Kim said softly, staring at the deck of the hold, her gaze distant. "Something in me, something vital to who I was before, _did_ die. They tried to kill me, so I wouldn't be able to do what I've done – rescuing you and Amy, that is. All I wanted was revenge for that; revenge, and to get the two of you back." She came back to herself and looked at Sheri. "I won't ever forget what I've done, but I don't regret any of it. I know that the people I've killed – excepting Dementor and Gemini – probably had families, and were probably just working for those two out of a need for a job. But it doesn't matter to me. They made a mistake in hiring on with them, and I won't feel guilty about that."

"Just one thing to say, then," Sheri said.

"What's that?"

"I don't ever want to piss you off."

Doctor Director stepped off of the Global Justice aircraft as its engines spooled down. Her plane, along with three others, had landed at the main hanger of W.E.E. HQ's main facility. All four planes had discharged the GJ strike team they each carried, and – except for one which stayed behind to protect the aircraft – had moved out to investigate and secure the facility. Other GJ strike teams were investigating and securing the rest of the now-defunct Worldwide Evil Empire's main base. During the overflight, Betty had seen the rather light level of destruction visited upon the base itself – along with the corpses strewn about outside. They were mainly along the pathway of whoever had come here. She knew, of course, who had done it – but without proof she couldn't do anything about it. Nothing legal, anyway. And Kim Possible was actually too famous to just arrest without legal and documented evidence. She had a feeling that she would find evidence that _someone_ had, indeed, assaulted her brother's organization, but that the evidence wouldn't indicate _who_ had done it. She also had a feeling that her brother was dead, because she knew that the same person who had attacked Dementor's fortress had just visited W.E.E.'s HQ.

_My brother isn't stupid_, she thought. _I'm sure he deduced who his attacker was, and said so – just as I'm sure she provided accurate and semi-truthful reasons that he was wrong._ Sighing, she headed towards the main building. _I'm going to have to talk with Kim, since evidence _does_ show that she escaped the hosptial _and_ was at the Middleton Science Center._

"This isn't going to be easy," she said quietly.

**E/N:** And there you have it. The long-delayed, and long in words, chapter of Kim going to the dark side – and somewhat liking it. This chapter may have taken a while, but I believe it was worth it. I hope y'all enjoyed reading it, because I enjoyed writing it. While I hope it met everyone's expectations – and surpassed them, too – I wrote this chapter because I enjoy writing, and wanted to tell a good story. I'll be honest here: there will be only two more chapters done for this story. Just a heads-up. I'll be sad when I write the last chapter of this story – after all, I'm sad just thinking about it right now – but there is good news.

However, I'm gonna wait to tell y'all what it is until the End Note of the last chapter. :-{D


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR.

**A/N:** I hope y'all are enjoying the story, since this is the 2nd to last chapter. [redacted]

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 11 – Possible Justice**

_Middleton Airport_

After making a short stop to refuel, the heavily modified Osprey belonging to Elena Parks touched down at the hanger owned by the woman's somewhat mercenary company. As it did, Global Justice SUVs roared around the hanger and pulled to screeching stop around the VTOL (vertical take-off/landing) aircraft. Doors flew open and GJ agents wearing tactical gear poured out, followed by Betty herself. One of the side doors of the aircraft opened and Kim stepped out. As she did, the GJ agents raised up their automatic rifles and aimed them at her.

"What the fuck is going on, Betts?" Kim asked, hands on her hips and a devastating glare on her face.

"I'm going to have to take you in, Kim," the one-eyed woman replied.

"On what charges?" the teen asked.

"Murder, for one. Illegal entry into sovereign nations for another. Illegal theft and use of government property."

"Is there a _legal_ kind of theft I don't know about?" the much younger woman quipped. "Would've been nice to know."

"This isn't a joke, Kimberly."

"You think I don't know that, you dumbass?" she snarled back. "I've been saving people since I had braces! I was eleven! And I've done more to keep the world safe in the last three _years_ than your whole agency in the last three _decades_!"

"I know, Kimberly," Betty told her. "That's why I'm _asking_ you to come in. If you don't . . . I'm afraid I _do_ have a warrant for your arrest ready. Just in case."

"I don't respond well to threats, Doctor Director," Kim said, her voice going flat and cold.

"So you admit to going after Dementor and my brother?"

"Why would I admit to something that there is no evidence about? I'm not stupid, you know. Elena came by and picked me up."

"From the hospital?" the older woman asked, disbelief in her voice. "_While_ you were still barely recovering from a nearly fatal car wreck?"

"Oh, I won't deny I had some help there. Wade got me out of the hospital, and I _did_ go to the Middleton Science Center. My dad knows someone who works there that had a project that could help me recover faster." Her eyes narrowed. "And according to _him_, since he _runs_ the project, it's government _funded_ but not _controlled_."

"Nevertheless-"

"Oh, shut the fuck up, you old crone," Elena said, coming around the nose of the plane. "You have no proof Kim did anything. You only have suspicions and anecdotal evidence. You're hoping she'll admit to something you can use to justify your actions." The other woman got right up in the face of Global Justice's leader. "Somebody _did_ attack Dementor's mountain fortress and allowed me to rescue my eight-year-old niece. I'm not sure if the same person hit the Worldwide Evil Empire's headquarters or not, but they did allow me to recover my oldest niece, too."

"So you just _happened_ to be there, with Kim, when those events occurred?"

"Damn straight. Though we got there _after_ they happened. I had a strike team all prepped, too. Full military load-outs. Never got a chance to use them."

Betty wanted to snarl, but knew that everything that had been said was true. She reluctantly gestured for her agents to lower their weapons. She _knew_ that Kim Possible had been responsible for what had happened to Dementor in Germany, as well as the death of her brother. But without proof, she couldn't do anything. Not without going against the law she was sworn to serve. She walked up to Kim and lowered her voice, so that what was said wouldn't be overheard by her agents.

"I know what you did, Kim," she said softly. "I may not have any proof, but I know you killed Dementor and murdered my brother."

"They got what they deserved, Director," Kim replied just as softly. "They almost killed me, and took the two people I care the most about in this world. Don't go making their mistake."

"What mistake is that?"

"Thinking I won't do whatever it takes to keep the people I care about safe."

With that, Kim stepped past the older woman and towards a car parked near the hanger. She was followed by Elena, a smirking Sheri holding a sleeping Amethyst, and the strike team Elena had on the plane.

As she watched the quartet of women walk away, Betty couldn't help wondering what she would do if she found the proof required by the law. Truth be told, she knew her brother would've had to have been dealt with one day; but Kim's 'solution' made it more permanent. And then there was the issue of the Hercules nanites bonding with her DNA.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes, Agent Du?"

"You seem confident Miss Possible is the one responsible for the actions against Dementor and WEE."

"I am, beyond any doubt. But I cannot arrest her because there is no proof, not even circumstantial. Without proof, arresting her would be illegal."

"So we find the proof," the Asian man said confidently.

"The only way we could find that proof would be to manufacture it ourselves," she said bluntly. "Dementor's fortress was vaporized completely, and the WEE computer network was scrambled." She hesitated slightly, then went on. "Besides, now that I think more about it, I don't think I'd arrest her even if I had the evidence."

"Ma'am?" Du asked, confused.

"What she did was not only against the law, it was against the character the world has come to know and recognize. No one would ever believe that Kim Possible was capable of killing anyone. But word will get around to all of the world's villains about what happened to Dementor and my brother."

"And what will that do?"

"You've always lacked imagination, Agent Du. When word gets to all of the villains about what Kim did to those two, and the cause of it, two things will happen. The first is that they'll become very reluctant to tangle with Kim Possible, knowing that she would – now – kill them if she felt the need to."

"And the second thing?"

"They'll start becoming reluctant to engage in schemes and actions that could draw her attention." She sighed. "I don't like this course of action, as it is allowing a killer to walk around free, but without proof – solid, unassailable truth – we really don't have any other choice at the moment."

"You know, Kim," Sheri said as they left the airport and headed to her home, "that was a pretty ballsey move back there. Standing up to Betts like that."

"I just killed Dementor, Gemini, and any of their forces to get you and Amy back," the redhead replied. "You think Betts scares me?"

"What I'm actually worried about is me," the green-tinted woman said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've still got that nanotech that Gemini injected me with inside me. I'm basically a living, breathing, remote controlled fighting machine. At least whenever somebody flips on the switch."

"I used an electromagnetic pulse bomb on Gemini's computers," Kim told her. "No one'll be getting information from that."

"But it's commercially available to the medical community," she protested. "Anyone can find out about it."

"Not anymore it isn't. Wade took care of that. Besides, the Hercules Project is probably what Gemini heard about – or something like it. And I _do_ know the guy who runs the Hercules Project. Betty was right, too. I've got the Hercules nanites in me, bonded with my DNA. I'm sure we can get your situation handled."

Silence followed that, but it was a comfortable one. Sheri didn't know what the future would hold for her, Kim, and Amethyst, but she did know one thign about it: she would pity anyone who pissed of her Princess.

Over the next few days – the next few weeks, even – there was a noticeable decline in criminal activity across the globe. At first, it was hard to detect. But after the first week it wasn't hard to spot. And something else happened, too. Kim and Sheri's relationship really blossomed. And though they have yet to cross the threshold into full intimacy, that hasn't stopped them from pushing the envelope on it.

And, now, summer vacation is about to end, which means all new situations will crop up.

**E/N:** I know that sounds like it's an exit line for the whole story, but it isn't. There's one more chapter planned. What happens in the next chapter was actually planned for this chapter, too, but I couldn't figure out what to do next for chapter 12 so I cut that part out and made it the final chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed the ride, because it's gonna end in the next chapter.

Or will it?


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER:** Kim Possible is owned by Disney, though I'm sure some you wish it wasn't. *wink, wink* The character of Amethyst Rose Goodman is the property of Kigo4evR.

**A/N:** Here's the last chapter. I hope y'all enjoyed the story. [redacted]

**A/N2:** Just so y'all know, chapter 11 was meant as a filler chapter to bridge the gap between 10 and 12 while also explaining the events immediately after what happened in 10.

**Kim Possible**

**More Than You Seem**

**Chapter 12 – Moving On**

_Middleton High School_

Kim stood outside the school, staring at it. In spite of the fact that she still had one more year to go before she graduated – a year that would start today – she felt like she didn't quite belong any more. She knew the reason for that, of course: killing someone will definitely change a person. Her reaction (or overreaction) was perfectly understandable and – to her, at the time – justifiable. Kim knew she should be bothered far more by her actions than she was, but the only feeling she could drum up about all the lives she'd taken was satisfaction. It had taken Sheri nearly two weeks to convince her that she wasn't a blood-thirsting killer, that all she had done was remove obstacles that stood between her and the people she cared about. Even though Kim accepted that reasoning, and had already come to terms with her actions, she didn't take any of the lives she'd ended lightly.

_But I won't let it bother me_, she thought. _I have changed, no doubt about that. I'm a different person now – a _very_ different person – but all that's really changed is my priorities._

She hadn't talked to Monique about what had happened – other than to say that she was thankful to whoever it was that had helped rescue Sheri and Amethyst – nor had she talked to Ron. At all. And he'd been back for a couple of weeks. Best friends since Pre-K, and they had yet to say one word to each other. Some would think it's because Ron found out she was a lesbian and was refusing to speak with her because he didn't want to believe it, or perhaps that she'd done something to estrange him. It actually wasn't anything like that. Even with the draw-down in super villainous activity, there was still plenty of action for "the girl who can do anything." Since Ron was still on vacation at the time, she had been taking Sheri with her on her missions, leaving Amethyst in the care of the teen's parents – along with a discretely-placed squad of HazOp Security commandoes, courtesy of Elena Parks. Ron _did_ have a kimmunicator, and _could_ have used it, which led Kim to believe that he had learned of her sexual preference – a fact she had forced Wade to confirm, since she knew he had told him. She hadn't tried to initiate any conversations with Ron, knowing he probably needed time to come to terms with everything. Her first reaction to that was somewhat out of character for her (for who she used to be, that is): she felt he needed to stop being such an emotional wuss and get over himself.

And she still felt that way, if she was being honest with herself.

"Hey, KP!" The familiar greeting caused her to turn around and smile at her best friend.

"Hey, Ron," she replied. "So how was your vacation?"

"Boring," he told her, his expression making her laugh. Then his face lit up. "But I did get learn how to make some new dishes."

"That's great to hear, Ron."

"So how about you, KP? How was your summer?"

"Could have been better, I suppose," was her response. "Had a couple of encounters with Sheri and Drakken, then she quit working for him-"

"Whoa, hold it, KP," Ron said. "Who is 'Sheri?'"

"Oh, um, well, that's . . . that's Shego's real name," she answered, blushing.

"How could you know that?"

"She lives right down the block from me."

"What?!"

"Keep it down, Ron!" she hissed at him. "Sheri isn't who you think. She doesn't work for Drakken, steal, or anything else illegal anymore. Unless you count dating a slightly underage teen hero, that is."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold it!" Ron held up his hands, index fingers extended, and looked at Kim. "Are you saying," he went on, "that you and Shego are . . . dating?"

"Exactly what I'm saying," she replied, a little defensive. "I know Wade told you I was a lesbian. I made _him_ tell me. I'd also made him promise not to tell anyone, but I'm not angry at him for telling you." She sighed. "I would have told you sooner, but I kept putting it off."

"So there's . . . no chance for 'us?'" he asked.

"Ron . . . there never _was_ a chance for 'us.' Not romantically, anyway. We'd already decided that."

"Well, yeah, but, you know, I thought-"

"That things might've changed one day?" she finished. He nodded. "I know that, Ron. But I don't think that would ever have been possible. And I know I always say, 'Anything's possible for a Possible,' but in this case I don't think that would apply."

"So, um, were you always, well, you know?"

"The word is 'lesbian,' Ron," she said, a small smile on her face. "And, yes, I think I was. It wasn't until I started getting to know Sheri better that it all came to me."

"I still find it hard to believe that you and _Shego_ could hook up," he replied, returning her smile.

"Uh-huh, yeah," Rufus put in, sticking his head out of Ron's pocket.

"It really _isn't_ that hard to believe," she told him as they started walking to the school. "We've been . . . rivals, I guess, since that mission where you and I first encountered her and Drakken. Ever since then, every time we fought-"

"She's tried to kill you."

"Not kill me, Ron. I'm sure at first she tried her best to hurt or disable me so she and Drakken could get away, but after a while it seemed to change."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, instead of trying to beat the shit out of me, it seemed like she was trying to push me harder and harder. Forcing me to step up my game, you know?"

"You mean she was testing you?"

"Kind of, yeah. Anyway, I found that, after every battle like that, I felt exhilarated. Sheri and I are equals, Ron. Kindred spirits. And . . . more, really."

"Soul mates?" he asked as they walked through the doors.

"I don't know if I'd go that far," she said, "but maybe. I do like to think she and I were meant to be."

"So it _is_ true, then," they both heard from behind them. Turning around, they found Bonnie standing there, her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face.

"What's true, Bonnie?" Kim asked with a sigh.

"That the 'great and mighty' Kim Possible is gay," she replied with her usual 'I'm-better-than-you' attitude.

"What's it to you, Bonnie?"

"Leverage. See, since you're gay, I can tell all the other girls on the squad that the only reason you joined was to see them in – and out – of the cheerleader uniforms."

"Go ahead, Bonnie." Kim's reply actually surprised the brunette.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I said 'go ahead.' I don't care if the whole school knows I'm gay. It doesn't change who I am. And only a short-sighted person like you would do something so stupid."

"What did you say to me?"

"I already told Tara, since she used to babysit for the girl I'm dating," Kim replied, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders. "I know she told the rest of the squad – because she told me she had." Now the redhead smirked. "Honestly, I'm surprised it took _you_ this long to find out. So go ahead and spread the news of my sexuality around the school. I don't give a shit about it. It's who I am, and I'm happy with that. Maybe the reason you're such a bitch, Bon-Bon, is that you _don't_ know who you are. You try to play the popularity game to make everyone like you, you look down on everyone who doesn't meet your rather unrealistic standards, _and_ you try to outdo someone who isn't even competing with you. So, whatever, Bonnie." With that, she turned around and headed into the school, Ron rushing to catch up, leaving Bonnie standing there with her mouth hanging open – and a small crowd of students staring after her.

That first day back went pretty much like she had expected it to. The news of Kim Possible being a lesbian had spread around the school faster than a fire through a gas-soaked dry field. She got a lot of reactions, though they were usually one of three types: disgusted, indifferent, and intrigued. Surprisingly enough, more than a few of those who were intrigued were girls; most of the guys who were intrigued by the news just thought it was hot. A lot of people didn't really care that she was homosexual, which included Ron, Monique, and – shockingly – Bonnie. After getting over what had happened this morning, the usually jealous and scornful brunette had started thinking over what her rival had said. And realized that everything she had said was true. She had also realized that she was acting just like her sisters: they always put her down and said mean-spirited things to and about her. Observing the redhead throughout the school day, she found herself envying Kim's confidence and cool. And though it would take some time for the years' worth of jealousy and bitchiness, she would do it because she honestly hadn't liked being that way. But until Kim had given her that wake up call right before school, she hadn't really known why she was being like that. She didn't know if she would ever be friends with Kim, but she would at least bury the hatchet – but not in the other girl's back.

It wasn't hard to see Bonnie mellowing towards Kim, especially for the rest of the squad. They fought less during practices, and even began having conversations afterwards. When the first cheer competition came around, with Middleton going against Upperton, Kim let Bonnie lead the squad for it. Bonnie and Monique started hanging out, which surprised everyone. With Kim an open and out lesbian, everyone who knew them expected Ron and Monique to start dating. So everyone (but Kim) was stunned when _Bonnie_ and Monique started dating. Needless to say Brick Flag wasn't happy about it, but when he tried to do something about this 'insult to his manliness,' he ended up being out of the next three football games due to a wrenched shoulder – courtesy of Kim Possible. Though only he, Kim, Bonnie, and Monique knew that.

When October rolled around, and Middleton High began preparing for the Halloween party, Kim, Monique, and Bonnie got together to work up a group costume idea. Sheri wanted to tag along, too, but could only do it as a chaperone rather than a date. Nevertheless, the three high schoolers included her in the costume planning. When the four of them showed up, it was as Sylia Stingray (Sheri), Priss Asagiri's Hard Suit (Kim), Linna Yamazaki's Hard Suit (Bonnie), and Nene Romanova's Hard Suit (Monique). Needless to say they won the costume competition (and probably could've taken on any villainous henchmen that might've showed up for whatever reason as _Wade_ had built the suits).

When the Christmas holiday season rolled around, Sheri sent around Christmas party invitations to the Possibles, Monique, Bonnie, and even Ron. The party was set for Christmas Eve, which gave everyone plenty of time to prepare. Bonnie's relationship with Monique was very steady, and had changed the brunette even more. When it was time for the party, everyone of course showed up – and Ron had brought Yuri and his family along, too. Kim and Bonnie even became friends at the party, with Bonnie playfully warning Kim away from her girlfriend and the redhead replying with an "I'm already spoken for." Mr. and Mrs. Doctor Possible invited everyone to their place on the 31st for a New Year's Eve party.

When school started up again, things were somewhat more hectic as this would be the year the seniors – including Kim, Ron, Bonnie, and Monique – would graduate. All of them stepped their game for studying, taking breaks so they wouldn't burn themselves out. The Middleton Spring Dance was the first time Kim and Sheri were to able to get together at a school function as a couple, though the older green-tinted woman kept herself unusually chaste for the event. And when graduation came around, Kim was voted as her graduating class's valedictorian. The speech she gave talked about finding who you really were, accepting yourself for who you are, and keeping an eye on the future. She ended it by saying that "this past year at Middleton High has been the best I've ever had. I've seen people change, and I became friends with someone I never would have seen as a friend a year ago. The future is full of surprises, so while you look to the future, never forget what you have in the present."

After the ceremony, Kim's parents treated her, Sheri, Monique, Bonnie, Ron, and Yori to a graduation dinner. And at the dinner, Sheri proposed to Kim in front of the whole restuarant. She tearfully accepted, and drew in the applause and cheers of the other patrons. They set the wedding date for in the fall, to give everyone time to plan and prepare.

And while Kim knew that the quiet of the past year – as far as super villain activity was concerned – wouldn't last forever, she was determined that it would last until after her wedding.

And heaven help anyone who interrupted it.

**E/N:** And there you have it. The end of **More Than You Seem**.

And I hope all of you who are fans of this story are looking forward to the sequel, **More Than You Think**, which will come out sometime in the near future. Also be on the look out for a story by Kigo4evR that will take place after this story but before my proposed sequel.


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